2013-2014 Annual Report

Do something about it

Our conference members and volunteers provided over $10 million of emergency assistance to adults and children in their local communities

Our six soup van services provided 231,816 meals with the assistance of 647 volunteers to an average of 868 people living rough per night

Our Vinnies Shops provided material aid valued at $3.2 million to people in need and over $11 million was made available to conferences for assistance

Our educational programs assisted over 110 students per week from a wide range of backgrounds and ethnic groups to embrace a positive educational experience

Our 450 Vinnies Youth members provided children’s activities such as Roadshow, Kids’ Camps, Kids’ Days Out and Teen Days Out to over 600 children and teenagers

Our Box Hill Call Centre received 49,219 calls for the year, averaging 203 calls per day. 8,624 were new callers, while 2,038 calls were for assistance relating to asylum seekers and refugees

Vinnies is 2013-2014 Annual report

doing something about it

Do something about it

Our conference members and volunteers provided over $10 million of emergency assistance to adults and children in their local communities

Our six soup van services provided 231,816 meals with the assistance of 647 volunteers to an average of 868 people living rough per night

Our Vinnies Shops provided material aid valued at $3.2 million to people in need and over $11 million was made available to conferences for assistance

Our educational programs assisted over 110 students per week from a wide range of backgrounds and ethnic groups to embrace a positive educational experience

Our 450 Vinnies Youth members provided children’s activities such as Roadshow, Kids’ Camps, Kids’ Days Out and Teen Days Out to over 600 children and teenagers

Our Box Hill Call Centre received 49,219 calls for the year, averaging 203 calls per day. 8,624 were new callers, while 2,038 calls were for assistance relating to asylum seekers and refugees

Vinnies is 2013-2014 Annual report

doing something about it

NW

NE

N E

W

G S

Members

Associate Members

3,896

Members

1,730

Associate Members

Conferences

21,227

28,787

15,187 $ 1,737,061

1,271

8,339

720 65

804

399

Northern Central Council

8,568

13,277

9,569 $ 946,662

87

1,149

298 29

318

91

Southern Central Council

22,159

31,604

24,579 $ 1,958,947

975

5,367

2,066 47

767

377

Western Central Council

19,636

29,864

22,377 $ 1,609,102

443

2,213

802 55

726

294

9,783

13,966

12,679 $ 943,938

325

3,367

1,256 19

328

125

Eastern Central Council

Visits not involving material assistance

Households assisted by bread runs

Conferences

65

Mini Vinnies Conferences

33

College Conferences

North Eastern Central Council

22,362

28,297

24,060 $ 1,459,477

600

793

2,947 34

471

162

15

Youth Conferences

North Western Central Council

17,405

24,274

22,397 $ 1,424,138

1,510

15,506

5,089 43

482

282

121,140

170,069

130,848 $ 10,079,325

5,211

36,734

3,896

1,730

102

Gippsland Central Council

Vinnies Shops

13,178 292

*

* In addition to the 292 conferences, these statistics also include nine non-conference entities (ie four visit teams and five assistance centres)

VincentCare Victoria

Conferences at work

Glenroy Community Hub

Local parish groups known as conferences are the heart of the St Vincent de Paul Society that enable our members to do together what they could not do alone.

Access Point Services Case Management Services Community Housing Services Family Violence Services HomeConnect Youth Outreach Support Services

Conferences meet regularly, providing the opportunity for members to come together in mutual support and spiritual encouragement to review and organise activities, report on assistance given and together find better ways of responding to people in need.

Inner Melbourne Community Hub

The St Vincent de Paul Society members are people who put their Christian faith into action by helping others in need personally, materially, socially and spiritually. Members do this by visiting people in their homes, serving them in our Vinnies Shops and meeting them on

Adult Outreach Support Services Homelessness Drug Dependency Program Ozanam Community Centre Ozanam House Quin House Reconstructing Life Afer Dependency Program

Residential aged care facilities Eastern Central Council Northern Central Council Southern Central Council Western Central Council Gippsland Central Council North Eastern Central Council North Western Central Council

Bread runs

Regions

Seniors’ Living Community Hub

E N S W G NE NW

$ value of assistance provided

34 292

Central Councils

Children assisted

7

Adults assisted

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

Cases where material assistance given

The St Vincent de Paul Society in Victoria has over 12,000 members and volunteers providing assistance to people through its two arms: St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. and VincentCare Victoria. Programs, services and facilities for both arms of the Society operate within the seven central council areas.

Conference statistics for 2013-2014

Social Enterprises Hub Ozanam Enterprises

4.40% 0.91% 46.44% 12.63% 3.88% 1.97% 6.22% 1.93% 4.29% 16.03% 1.30%

Accommodation Cash Food vouchers/Gift cards Purchased food Transport Whitegoods Utilities bills Education Other Donated Food Prescription/Medical

the streets through our soup vans.

At the heart of what they do is the sharing of themselves, person-to-person and the sharing of what they have: food, clothing, shelter, advice and friendship. Members assist people who are struggling to get back on their feet, empowering them to decide the future direction of their lives by giving them a hand up.

Members do their work by going out in pairs, visiting people in their homes or where they feel comfortable and offering material assistance with food, clothing and furniture, advocacy and friendship.

76.53% 2.54% 2.40% 2.32% 16.21%

Previous caller Government department Non-Government agencies Church or similar Self-referred/Friend

By meeting people face-to-face in their homes, members are given the unique opportunity of getting to know people in need personally. By seeing first hand their personal circumstances and meeting their families, members gain a better understanding of their problems.

Members hold seriously to the values of dignity, self-respect and confidentiality for the people visited.

The statistics on this page relate to the level of support and material assistance provided by the St Vincent de Paul Society’s conferences during the year.

1.91% 0.21% 6.14% 20.34% 23.96% 36.19% 3.00% 2.05% 1.67% 4.53%

Salary & wages WorkCover Age pension Parenting Payment Newstart Allowance Disability support Other government No income Youth Allowance Other/Not determined

About us doing something about it

ANALYSIS OF THE MATERIAL ASSISTANCE GIVEN BY CONFERENCES

SOURCE OF REFERRAL OF PEOPLE ASSISTED

SOURCE OF INCOME OF PEOPLE ASSISTED

NW

NE

N E

W

G S

Members

Associate Members

3,896

Members

1,730

Associate Members

Conferences

21,227

28,787

15,187 $ 1,737,061

1,271

8,339

720 65

804

399

Northern Central Council

8,568

13,277

9,569 $ 946,662

87

1,149

298 29

318

91

Southern Central Council

22,159

31,604

24,579 $ 1,958,947

975

5,367

2,066 47

767

377

Western Central Council

19,636

29,864

22,377 $ 1,609,102

443

2,213

802 55

726

294

9,783

13,966

12,679 $ 943,938

325

3,367

1,256 19

328

125

Eastern Central Council

Visits not involving material assistance

Households assisted by bread runs

Conferences

65

Mini Vinnies Conferences

33

College Conferences

North Eastern Central Council

22,362

28,297

24,060 $ 1,459,477

600

793

2,947 34

471

162

15

Youth Conferences

North Western Central Council

17,405

24,274

22,397 $ 1,424,138

1,510

15,506

5,089 43

482

282

121,140

170,069

130,848 $ 10,079,325

5,211

36,734

3,896

1,730

102

Gippsland Central Council

Vinnies Shops

13,178 292

*

* In addition to the 292 conferences, these statistics also include nine non-conference entities (ie four visit teams and five assistance centres)

VincentCare Victoria

Conferences at work

Glenroy Community Hub

Local parish groups known as conferences are the heart of the St Vincent de Paul Society that enable our members to do together what they could not do alone.

Access Point Services Case Management Services Community Housing Services Family Violence Services HomeConnect Youth Outreach Support Services

Conferences meet regularly, providing the opportunity for members to come together in mutual support and spiritual encouragement to review and organise activities, report on assistance given and together find better ways of responding to people in need.

Inner Melbourne Community Hub

The St Vincent de Paul Society members are people who put their Christian faith into action by helping others in need personally, materially, socially and spiritually. Members do this by visiting people in their homes, serving them in our Vinnies Shops and meeting them on

Adult Outreach Support Services Homelessness Drug Dependency Program Ozanam Community Centre Ozanam House Quin House Reconstructing Life Afer Dependency Program

Residential aged care facilities Eastern Central Council Northern Central Council Southern Central Council Western Central Council Gippsland Central Council North Eastern Central Council North Western Central Council

Bread runs

Regions

Seniors’ Living Community Hub

E N S W G NE NW

$ value of assistance provided

34 292

Central Councils

Children assisted

7

Adults assisted

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

Cases where material assistance given

The St Vincent de Paul Society in Victoria has over 12,000 members and volunteers providing assistance to people through its two arms: St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. and VincentCare Victoria. Programs, services and facilities for both arms of the Society operate within the seven central council areas.

Conference statistics for 2013-2014

Social Enterprises Hub Ozanam Enterprises

4.40% 0.91% 46.44% 12.63% 3.88% 1.97% 6.22% 1.93% 4.29% 16.03% 1.30%

Accommodation Cash Food vouchers/Gift cards Purchased food Transport Whitegoods Utilities bills Education Other Donated Food Prescription/Medical

the streets through our soup vans.

At the heart of what they do is the sharing of themselves, person-to-person and the sharing of what they have: food, clothing, shelter, advice and friendship. Members assist people who are struggling to get back on their feet, empowering them to decide the future direction of their lives by giving them a hand up.

Members do their work by going out in pairs, visiting people in their homes or where they feel comfortable and offering material assistance with food, clothing and furniture, advocacy and friendship.

76.53% 2.54% 2.40% 2.32% 16.21%

Previous caller Government department Non-Government agencies Church or similar Self-referred/Friend

By meeting people face-to-face in their homes, members are given the unique opportunity of getting to know people in need personally. By seeing first hand their personal circumstances and meeting their families, members gain a better understanding of their problems.

Members hold seriously to the values of dignity, self-respect and confidentiality for the people visited.

The statistics on this page relate to the level of support and material assistance provided by the St Vincent de Paul Society’s conferences during the year.

1.91% 0.21% 6.14% 20.34% 23.96% 36.19% 3.00% 2.05% 1.67% 4.53%

Salary & wages WorkCover Age pension Parenting Payment Newstart Allowance Disability support Other government No income Youth Allowance Other/Not determined

About us doing something about it

ANALYSIS OF THE MATERIAL ASSISTANCE GIVEN BY CONFERENCES

SOURCE OF REFERRAL OF PEOPLE ASSISTED

SOURCE OF INCOME OF PEOPLE ASSISTED

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

Our Mission: The St Vincent de Paul Society is a lay Catholic organisation that aspires to live the gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope and joy, and by working to shape a more just and compassionate society.

4

State Council

5

Advisory Committees

6

State President’s Report

7

CEO’s Report

8

Organisational Chart

9

Executive Group

10

St Vincent de Paul Society

12

Eastern Central Council

12

Northern Central Council

13

Southern Central Council

13

Western Central Council

14

Gippsland Central Council

14

North Eastern Central Council

15

North Western Central Council

Our Vision

15

A Call to Serve

The St Vincent de Paul Society aspires to be recognised as a caring Catholic charity offering ‘a hand up’ to people in need. We do this by respecting their dignity, sharing our hope and encouraging them to take control of their own destiny.

16

Soup Vans

18

Homelessness has many faces

Our Values Commitment Compassion Respect Integrity Empathy Advocacy Courage

Our Logo The St Vincent de Paul Society logo incorporates the symbol of three hands which represent: The hand of Christ that blesses the cup, The hand of love that offers the cup, and The hand of suffering that receives the cup.

When reproducing the St Vincent de Paul Society logo, all three components must be incorporated.

Patron

The Governor of Victoria, The Honourable Alex Chernov AO QC

Editor

Dianne Ballestrin, St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

Images

Some photographs appearing in this Annual Report have been selected from istockphoto.com to protect the identity of our clients.

19

Hames Project

20

Vinnies Shops

22

Supporting Refugees

24

Asylum Seekers & Refugees

25

Overseas Development

26

Membership & Development

28

Giving through volunteering

30

Vinnies Youth

32

Schools

34

Education giving back

36

Compeer

38

Fundraising & Marketing

40

Vinnies CEO Sleepout

42

Events

44

Risk Management

45

Human Resources

46

Policy & Research

47

Social Justice

48

VincentCare Victoria

52

Consolidated Financials

54

Thank you

55

Beginnings

3

contents doing something about it

4

2013-2014 Annual Report

The St Vincent de Paul Society is a lay Catholic organisation made up of over 12,000 members and volunteers as well as a number of staff. In Victoria, the Society is governed by State Council currently consisting of 12 members, representing the members and volunteers, and overseeing the strategic direction of the Society.

The current State Council comprises eight elected members. Up to a further seven appointments may be made by the State President (at the time of this report five appointments have been made). The term of office for elected members is up to four years with retirements occurring at any time during the year.

Michael Liddy State President

Carol Messer Deputy State President & North Eastern Central Council President

Maria Minto Cahill Vice President

Margaret Gearon Vice President

Josef Czyzewski Treasurer & Corporate Secretary

Anthony Warren Eastern Central Council President

Kevin McMahon Northern Central Council President

Michael Cashman Southern Central Council President

Paul McManus Western Central Council President

Terry Randall Gippsland Central Council President

John O’Brien North Western Central Council President

Katherine Spencer Youth Representative

In addition State Council relies on external expertise for specific roles.

Advisors are appointed and attend State Council as required to assist our work in legal, spiritual, risk management and other special areas.

Following the election of a new State President in March 2014, we take this opportunity to sincerely thank our previous office bearers Tony Tome (State President), John Lazzari (Deputy State President), Susan Dornom (Vice President), Val Dunn (Vice President) and John Hayes (Treasurer/Corporate Secretary) for their commitment and years of service on State Council.

State Council

doing something about it

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

5

The St Vincent de Paul Society has established various committees to oversee and assist the work of specific areas of service within the organisation. In many instances, the committees provide advice and recommendations to the Society’s State Council and its executive so informed decisions can be made for its ongoing policy, strategic and operational development.

Advisory Committees Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee This committee provides assistance to State Council in fulfilling its corporate governance and oversight responsibilities in relation to: financial reporting, internal control structure, risk management systems and the external and internal audit function.

Finance Committee This committee’s primary role is to monitor and review the effectiveness of controls in the areas of operational and balance sheet risk, legal/regulatory compliance and financial reporting.

Its objective is to provide a review of budgeting, financial and other information provided by management.

The committee also provides advice on any specific financial proposals which

occur, is responsible for overseeing the development of treasury policy and monitoring its operation ensuring that an effective policy of delegated authorities is in place and that it is effectively monitored. It also advises on business risk management.

Membership & Development Advisory Committee This committee ensures that the Society remains an effective force in its service to the disadvantaged and marginalised in our community. It oversees the programs for the recruitment, induction and ongoing training of new and existing members in all Victorian conferences and councils.

It is also responsible to State Council for preserving the Society’s ethos, mission and spirituality for its members.

Social Justice Committee This committee’s purpose is to engender in our members the recognition, understanding and appreciation of social justice issues as they arise in the dayto-day work of the Society. It assists State Council to be an effective force at all levels, for the promotion of social justice in Victoria, and as an effective part of the Society’s national promotion of social justice in Australia.

State Youth Team This committee provides strategic planning for Vinnies Youth initiatives as well as reporting on activities and discussing issues relevant to the Society’s youth members. The team is chaired by State Council’s Youth Representative and comprises youth representatives from all central councils. All initiatives developed by the team are actioned through Membership & Development’s youth team.

Operational Committees Compeer Advisory Groups Two advisory groups provide advice and support to the Compeer Program with respect to its strategic direction, service delivery and development. Represented areas of expertise include: mental health including service delivery and policy, volunteer management, legal, marketing and fundraising, program volunteer, Society representative and a person with a lived experience of mental illness.

Emergency Recovery Liaison Committee This committee’s purpose is to assist in coordinating the Society’s input into the ‘recovery’ phase of any major State emergency as well as any locally based disasters. Formed by representatives

from each central council, committee members liaise with local authorities and organisations to ensure people in need are properly assisted.

Overseas Development Committee This committee provides advice to State Council on all matters relating to our responsibilities in providing support and assistance to Vincentians in the developing countries of Asia Pacific.

The committee is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the three major support programs: Twinning, Assist a Student and Projects continue to grow and develop, with support from the Society and its members.

Refugee, Asylum Seeker & Migrant Committee This committee seeks to promote a sense of compassion and dignity towards new settlers while also providing a range of support services, advocacy and material assistance as people rebuild their lives in a new country.

Retail Advisory Committee This committee oversees the operation of Vinnies Shops throughout Victoria, monitoring appropriate strategies, policies and directions for the development of shops and making recommendations to State Council. The committee also evaluates the administrative and management performance of all Vinnies Shops.

Advisory Committees doing something about it

6

2013-2014 Annual Report

The 2013-2014 year has been marked by leadership changes in the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria. Tony Tome’s term as State President concluded on 29 March 2014, on which date I was elected to succeed him.

The commitment of the Society to respond to the needs of the poor, vulnerable, disadvantaged and homeless members in our community is unchanged.

That challenge to identify, understand and respond to the needs of people who seek the Society’s assistance remains before members of the Society, our supporters and benefactors.

Pope Francis, through his addresses, interviews and writings, is calling all people to better understand the predicament of people at the margins of society. People of many faiths, people of no faith, hear his words and are touched.

Pope Francis’ book Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel is a source of inspiration and challenge, particularly to members of the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Our members respond to people who seek our assistance through visitations; provision of financial and material assistance; advocacy on behalf of the poor and homeless to governments and to utilities providers when people struggle to maintain payments.

Members are able to provide this vital work in the community because of the continued and loyal support of our donors, benefactors, sponsors and partners. In March 2014 we celebrated 160 years

of service to the Victorian community with an event graciously hosted by our Patron, His Excellency the Honourable Alex Chernov AC QC, Governor of Victoria and Mrs Chernov at Government House to acknowledge the work done by the Society in Victoria and also to thank our many donors.

Our Vinnies Shops provide material assistance to people in need, but also generate significant funds through the sale of surplus goods in order to support the work of conferences and others within the Society. Our soup vans provide not only nutritious food to many people in need but also a friendly listener, warm clothing and a range of other assistance and advice.

State Council spent time during 20132014 discussing reports and data from a strategic analysis undertaken by consultants. Since my election as State President, further focus is being given to agreeing upon a strategic direction for the Society for 2014-2019, which will lead to the development of our strategic plan.

The 2014 Ozanam Lecture was delivered

by Bernie Geary OAM on the topic ‘How would Frederic Ozanam respond to the social challenges of today?’. Bernie brought a wealth of experience and insight to his stimulating and, at times,

challenging presentation. The respondent for the lecture was Frank Purcell.

I wish to recognise and thank Tony Tome for his leadership of the Society in his four year term, and the manner in which he responded to the needs of the Society and those it serves. I also wish to thank previous office bearers for their service to the Society during their term.

I am pleased to introduce the new office bearers on State Council and to thank them for accepting their appointments: Carol Messer (Deputy State President), Josef Czyzewski (Treasurer & Corporate Secretary), Maria Minto Cahill (Vice President – Membership & Leadership) and Margaret Gearon (Vice President – Social Policy & Advocacy). I also welcome to State Council Anthony Warren, as Eastern Central Council President (from July 2013). I thank Monsignor Anthony Ireland EV PP and Brendan McCarthy, spiritual and legal advisers respectively to State Council, both of whom have agreed to continue their valuable roles during my term as State President. Thank you also to John Bohan, who has acted as Treasurer during the period of April-June 2014.

Michael Liddy State President

State President’s Report doing something about it

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

7

2014 marks an important and proud milestone in our history. For over 160 years, we have been challenged and we have responded to the needs of disadvantaged Victorians in the same spirit of our founder Frederic Ozanam.

Whilst our social environment, with all its complexity, uncertainty, opportunities and risks, means the context for our work is vastly different from those founding days, the fundamental challenges to enabling people to live a life of dignity have not changed. Now, like then, people in our community have essential needs such as an education, a job, a home and hope in order to enjoy fulfilling lives.

Our work continues to be shaped around harnessing our resources in such a way that ensures they have greatest impact and effectiveness. During the course of the year we have again been overwhelmed with the incredibly generous support we receive from the Victorian public and corporate partners, in terms of financial donations, gifts in-kind and donations of clothing, furniture and home wares which are sold through our network of Vinnies Shops. We acknowledge and express our gratitude to every person who supports and assists us to continue our important work in the community.

Our underlying strength is our people; our members and volunteers who generously give their time, care and compassion to those we serve. To support our members and volunteers,

we have committed and passionate professional staff who have worked tirelessly all year to ensure that we achieve our objectives.

Since joining the Society in April 2013, I have continued to be inspired by the work of our members and the stories of how we have been able to help so many people in so many different ways. We will continue to strive to do more, to develop and deploy initiatives that better meet the needs of those who seek our support.

During the year our conference members completed in excess of 120,000 visitations across Victoria and provided assistance with a monetary value of $10,079,325. A further $3.2 million worth of material aid (equivalent) was supplied from Vinnies Shops.

In order to ensure that we continue to grow our income and drive operational efficiencies, we have undertaken extensive strategic reviews of our Vinnies Shops and our IT structure.

We have exciting plans in place for the expansion of our retail network together with an extensive relocation and refurbishment program which will generate significant sales growth

and additional funding to support the increasing work of our conferences. To support that planned growth we will significantly invest in our IT infrastructure and reporting capabilities to drive down operating costs and improve efficiency.

The financial results of the Society for the year indicate a surplus of $2.4 million prior to consolidation.

Whilst the result largely reflects increasing demands for assistance across Victoria, we have successfully contained operating expenditure.

We recognise that to achieve our goals, we need to collectively focus on supporting and developing our members, volunteers and staff, continue to provide careful management of finances, identify further operational efficiencies and explore all opportunities to grow our income.

I thank all members of State Council for their leadership and support. Together, we are confident that our plans will ensure the Society is well positioned to respond to the challenges ahead.

Cam Battaglia Chief Executive Officer

CEO’s Report

doing something about it

8

2013-2014 Annual Report

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. State Council

VincentCare Victoria Board of Directors

VincentCare Community Housing

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Executive Officer

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

VincentCare Victoria

Compeer Finance & Information Communication & Technology Fundraising, Marketing & Public Relations Human Resources Internal Audit & Risk Management Membership & Development Policy & Research Vinnies Shops & Facilities

Accommodation and Support Client Services Corporate Services Health & Ageing Internal Audit IT Portfolio Service Quality & Integration Social Policy & Research

Organisational chart doing something about it

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

Cam Battaglia Chief Executive Officer

Paul Jackson Chief Financial Officer

Ann Timoney Manager, Human Resources

Elizabeth Cromb Manager, Compeer

Carol Taylor General Manager, Fundraising, Marketing & Public Relations

Patricia McCourt Manager, Membership & Development

Garry Webb Manager, Internal Audit & Risk Management

Gavin Dufty Manager, Policy & Research

9

Garry McBride General Manager, Vinnies Shops

Executive Group

doing something about it

10

2013-2014 Annual Report

The St Vincent de Paul Society’s members and volunteers provide practical support, advocacy and friendship to the most vulnerable in our community. The majority of assistance provided by the Society is through local groups, known as conferences, our soup van services and Vinnies Shops. However the Society also provides assistance to asylum seekers and refugees seeking to rebuild their lives in a new country, as well as supporting individuals and communities in developing countries.

The St Vincent de Paul Society is one of the most well recognised and highly regarded charitable organisations in Australia.

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

11

“YOURS MUST BE A WORK OF LOVE, OF KINDNESS, YOU MUST GIVE YOUR TIME, YOUR TALENTS, YOURSELVES…” Blessed Frederic Ozanam, Founder of the st vincent de paul society

The Society’s members, volunteers and employees reach out and serve the most vulnerable in our community through:

Home Visitation

Asylum Seekers & Refugees

Education & Tutoring

Providing a range of services to support and assist refugees to rebuild their lives and establish a home in their new country.

Assisting students from a wide range of backgrounds and ethnic groups to embrace and develop their educational experience through reading and tutoring programs.

Visiting people in their homes, we extend the hand of friendship and offer practical support to people who seek our assistance. In some rural areas, due to distance, help is provided through the local conference assistance centre.

Overseas Development

Vinnies Youth

Vinnies Shops

Supporting and encouraging young people in schools, universities and youth conferences to become active in assisting people within their local communities.

Soup Vans Offering meals, friendship and referral services to people living on the streets or in unstable accommodation. The first soup van service commenced operation in Fitzroy in 1975.

Providing support to people in developing countries, fostering links and cultural exchange.

Providing quality clothing, furniture and household goods to people in need who are being supported by their local conference. Donated goods not required for supporting people in need are offered for sale to the public and the revenue generated is redistributed to further support the local welfare work of the Society.

Compeer Supporting friendships between caring volunteers and people living with mental illness on a one-to-one basis through regular contact.

VincentCare Victoria Established in 2003 by the Society to provide a range of professional accommodation and support services to people who are facing disadvantage and those who are ageing throughout metropolitan and regional Victoria.

VincentCare has developed service delivery models known as ‘hubs’.

Each hub consists of a different mix of accommodation, support and health services driven by the needs of the catchment population: • • • •

Inner Melbourne Community Hub Northern Community Hub Seniors’ Living Community Hub Social Enterprises Hub

ST Vincent de Paul society doing something about it

12

2013-2014 Annual Report

Eastern Central Council

Northern CENTRAL COUNCIL

The Eastern Central Council consists of the regions of Box Hill, Camberwell, Knox-Sherbrooke, Melbourne, Ringwood, Waverley and Yarra Valley.

In the 2013-2014 financial year, several of our special works have continued to flourish including our soup van volunteering and Kids’ Days Out run by the Vinnies Youth.

It covers not only the high density inner city urban population but also the rural communities of the Yarra Ranges, so we have to be flexible in our operations.

READING CLUB

Assistance Centres The Collingwood Assistance Centre is a community shop providing food and clothing two days per week to the people of Collingwood and Abbotsford. It works very closely with the other support agencies in the area.

The Fitzroy Mobile Conference is another assistance centre that provides food hampers and assistance for the people of Fitzroy and Fitzroy North. Society members from the outer suburbs provide assistance there two days per week.

Inner City Visitations In 1997, the Society’s Victorian State President Syd Tutton recognised that many of the inner suburbs of Melbourne had little or no St Vincent de Paul Society presence.

In response, dedicated Vincentians formed an Inner City Visitation team to help in Port Melbourne, South Melbourne, South Yarra, Richmond and East Melbourne.

Coordinated teams visit the inner city areas from a number of conferences. Calls for help received at the Box Hill Call Centre are distributed to the visiting teams.

Annually 2,488 homes are visited with 5,060 adults and children assisted at a cost of over $215,000.

Looking into the future we are now striving to re-form conferences in the inner suburbs. Our first venture will be in the Port Melbourne (St Joseph’s) and Middle Park (Our Lady of Mount Carmel) where we will assist the local conference to visit approximately 335 homes and help 497 adults and 240 children each quarter.

The number of students in West Heidelberg Reading Club has grown over the year and now sees 15-25 students each week during school terms. The program runs with five adult volunteers and approximately 10 students from local schools: Catholic Ladies’ College, Our Lady of Mercy College and Loyola College.

PRESTON REGION ASSISTANCE CENTRE Every Thursday, except school holidays, members run an ‘assistance centre’ which comprises a lunch by donation, conference assistance and a no interest loan scheme (NILS).

This service has been operating for more than 10 years.

Today it operates in the City of Whittlesea’s Lalor Living and Learning Centre.

Currently, on average, 20 people take part in the lunch each week, up to four people receive conference assistance and a further three or four receive budget advice and a loan up to $500 to help them manage their financial difficulty. The NILS receives referrals from the conferences in the Preston Region and to date it has loaned a total of $558,936. Currently 85 people are repaying a loan. On average $4,000 a month is loaned and repaid. Last financial year we assisted 98 people with budget advice and a loan at no cost to the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Occasionally during the year, on school holidays, the Lalor, Thomastown West Conference, in conjunction with the staff of the Lalor Living and Learning Centre, provide a fun day out for families in the hall of the centre.

BLACK SATURDAY

Our region has three houses in Hawthorn, Mooroolbark and Boronia for rent specifically by refugees. The rentals are monitored and supervised by Harrisons (Uniting Care) with assistance from the local Society conferences. This ensures that the houses are properly maintained and managed.

The small group led by John Hartigan of the Greensborough Conference has finalised its magnificent work as part of the Strathewen Trust Fund. Established following the ‘Black Saturday’ bushfires in 2009, the conference has been involved in contacting all the residents and disbursing funds and assistance to those still struggling. This work has continued to support, both financially and emotionally, those affected who had often dropped out of the public view, but who still needed some vital encouragement and compassion.

The Eastern Central Council conference members have provided assistance to the value of $1,737,061 to 21,227 families in need during the last 12 months.

The Northern Central Council conference members have provided assistance to the value of $946,662 to 8,568 families in need during the last 12 months.

Refugees

E

7 65 804 399 18 8 4 16 East Metro

Regions Conferences Members Associate Members Mini Vinnies Conferences College Conferences Youth Conferences Vinnies Shops Area covered

N

3 29 318 91 8 1 1 6 North Metro

Regions Conferences Members Associate Members Mini Vinnies Conferences College Conferences Youth Conferences Vinnies Shops Area covered

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

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Southern Central Council

WESTERN CENTRAL COUNCIL

The Southern Central Council covers five regions from city suburbs such as Bentleigh and Clayton to country areas such as Pakenham.

The Western Central Council covers the regions of Altona, Broadmeadows, Central Highlands, Essendon and Geelong, stretching from Seymour to Torquay.

The Mentone and Hampton Regions are generous with their energy and creativity whilst the Mornington Region continues to face the challenge of its growth corridors. The requirements of the multi-cultural communities in the south east are responded to by conferences in the Berwick and Dandenong Regional Councils.

The increase in the demand for assistance within the council in the 2013-2014 financial year has highlighted the need for increased recruitment, support and training for the members and volunteers within these regions.

Conferences The number of first time calls to people in need is, on average, around 100 per month across the council. Many homeless people have been assisted and local Vinnies Shops have been outstanding with their support. Refugees and asylum seekers, many scarred by their experiences, receive practical charity through the works of our members and Vinnies Youth groups assist generously with soup vans in Berwick and Endeavour Hills.

Mini Vinnies The growth of the Catholic primary schools in the new residential areas brings an exciting opportunity to expand Mini Vinnies Conferences. The ‘cluster’ arrangements organised

by Nazareth College in Mulgrave for its feeder primary schools has proven to be very successful for nearby Mini Vinnies. The council now has 13 Mini Vinnies groups and will be working to expand them further.

SOCIAL JUSTICE | MCLEAN HOUSE Homelessness in its many guises continues to confront our conferences. Our Social Justice Officer has often reflected on issues whereby a house may have a roof but is nothing more than a hovel; the insecurity of a caravan; a family residing in a hotel room. This is where the work of our members stands out. In 2010 a house in Hallam was purchased to provide safe accommodation to asylum seekers.

McLean House, named after long standing members who have worked tirelessly providing assistance to refugees and asylum seekers, has been home to two families since being established. The first family were from Afghanistan and resided there for 23 months after relocating from the country due to the ill health of one of their children. The second family are from Burma and seeking asylum in Australia. Both parents have medical problems and the children require support with their education but for now they feel safe living in this Society property.

The Southern Central Council conference members have provided assistance to the value of $1,958,947 to 22,159 families in need during the last 12 months.

S

5 47 767 377 13 7 3 16 South Metro

Regions Conferences Members Associate Members Mini Vinnies Conferences College Conferences Youth Conferences Vinnies Shops Area covered

The central council continues to encourage regions and conferences to identify gaps in the services they provide to those seeking our help.

REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS The members and volunteers across the Western Central Council area have been extremely busy this year responding to the increased calls for assistance from refugees and asylum seekers placed into the community. Our members handled this extra demand with the true Vincentian spirit of love, respect and dignity.

TRAINING WORKSHOPS There has been a strong focus on assisting our members and volunteers to develop skills so they can support those who call on us.

The program ‘Be PART of the solution, not THE solution’ as well as the ‘Making Effective Assessments’ workshops have been very well attended. The year also saw the ‘Different Strokes for Different Folks Take 2’ program provide the opportunity for over 100 members to attend a training day to help search for stronger links to the wider welfare community.

RE-ESTABLISHED CONFERENCES Melton South and Bacchus Marsh Conferences have been re-established in response to growing need created by the increasing population and demand. Both conferences have special challenges to face, but are alike in their endeavours to reach out and support people in their areas.

VINNIES SHOPS Again we thank the wonderful Vinnies Shop volunteers who have helped our conferences with welfare assistance and responded so well to those who came into our shops.

The Western Central Council conference members have provided assistance to the value of $1,609,102 to 19,636 families in need during the last 12 months.

W

5 55 726 294 11 8 5 18 West Metro

Regions Conferences Members Associate Members Mini Vinnies Conferences College Conferences Youth Conferences Vinnies Shops Area covered

doing something about it

14

2013-2014 Annual Report

Gippsland Central Council Gippsland Central Council has welcomed many new presidents and thanks outgoing presidents for all their work over the last four years.

Activities this year included our first ‘Social Justice in the Country’ public lectures and hosting a ‘Kids Roadshow’ in east and south Gippsland which were both well received.

Gippsland Annual Communication and Networking Day The council also held a communication and networking day for 66 conference members. Speakers from Mind Australia discussed their services and mental health in Gippsland. Des Madden, a Vincentian, gave a presentation about the role of social justice in conferences.

FOOD CENTS | FOSTER CONFERENCE Foster Conference’s new special works ‘Food Cents’ has been successful and, in conjunction with the local community health provider, the program aims to teach people about shopping (the importance of reading labels and prices), budgeting and cooking healthy food. Two sessions have been conducted so far with very positive feedback. South Gippsland Region is looking to expand the program further.

Christmas Gifts for Prisoners The council’s gifts for prisoners had its biggest year with 1,000 gifts of a recyclable Society bag with biscuits, lollies, Christmas cards, stamps, pens and socks being assembled.

Thank you to the Sale Catholic College students for helping to assemble the bags.

Tertiary Education Sponsorship Program Gippsland’s Tertiary Education Sponsorship program is in its 12th year of operation. Over this time 175 sponsorships have been offered, resulting in 140 students taking places at tertiary level. Of these 140 students, 80 have graduated and 60 are still studying.

The Gippsland Central Council extends their sincere thanks to retiring TES coordinator Sandra Walker for all her work on this program and her dedication to the work of the Society over her many years of service.

North eastern CENTRAL COUNCIL The rural communities, large and small, that make up the north eastern region of Victoria continue to require compassionate, effective and innovative responses to a great diversity of localised needs, highlighted in the areas of crisis accommodation, isolation and educational opportunities.

Some special innovations in 2013-2014: • The establishment of a crisis accommodation house in Mansfield, servicing the Wangaratta and Wodonga regions, in collaboration with VincentCare and the local conference. The Hames Project is showcased on page 19 of this report.

• Financially supporting a ‘Cooking for Life Project’ catering for students from schools within a 50 kilometre radius of Shepparton who have become disengaged from school. This includes the involvement of conference members.

• Financially supporting the BSafe program assisting women affected by domestic violence.

• The Upper Murray & Wangaratta regions convened a one day seminar of members linking up with other community organisations across the region including mental health, rural housing and other welfare service providers. This seminar assisted with enabling referral pathways and communication to become more seamless for the people we are assisting.

These are only a small sample of the responses made by dedicated conference members, always in conjunction with the everyday responses to the immediate necessities of life in an increasingly difficult economic climate: utility bills, rental arrears, education support for camps, books, uniforms, transport (especially problematic in rural areas) and food.

The North Eastern Central Council is making a difference by doing something about it.

The council has been extremely grateful that members from east Gippsland started a fundraising project called the ‘Local Care’ program which works with local businesses and farmers to raise part of the $70,000 needed annually to run this program.

The Gippsland Central Council conference members have provided assistance to the value of $943,938 to 9,783 families in need during the last 12 months.

3 19 328 125 3 G 11 South East Victoria

Regions Conferences Members Associate Members Mini Vinnies Conferences College Conferences Youth Conferences Vinnies Shops Area covered

The North Eastern Central Council conference members have provided assistance to the value of $1,459,477 to 22,362 families in need during the last 12 months.

NE

doing something about it

5 34 471 162 5 5 18 North East Victoria

Regions Conferences Members Associate Members Mini Vinnies Conferences College Conferences Youth Conferences Vinnies Shops Area covered

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

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North Western Central Council

A Call to Serve

The North Western Central Council incorporates the regions of Avoca Tyrell, Ballarat, Glenelg, Corangamite, Sunraysia and the Wimmera.

Initiated by State Council, A Call to Serve is an organisational event created to share the stories of modern day leaders of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Victoria.

Members of the North Western Central Council are often challenged by the tyranny of distance, one of many challenges facing members in rural Victoria. Conversely those seeking assistance from isolated communities face similar challenges.

The stories are those of long serving members of the Society and portray their compassionate service to people in need and the enduring commitment they have made through the Society to making the world a better place.

Each year, members of the Society will be called upon to nominate individuals and/or special works that demonstrate outstanding contributions to our service.

ASSISTANCE CENTRE The decision to retain the former Vinnies Budget Grocery building in Mildura and convert this to an assistance centre in part addresses the isolation of the conferences attached to the Sunraysia Region. This initiative now provides for donated food distribution to all outlying conferences and access to no interest loan scheme (NILS) and regional support offices.

In 2013 we celebrated the good works of:

SPREADING THE WORD Great inroads have been made to raise the Society profile within schools, by supporting country students to experience a night on the soup vans. Conference members have visited schools to share stories of their volunteer work with the Society.

John Cannon: who joined the Society in 1952

Jack Dillon: a member from 1944-1986

Brian Lenten: who joined the Society in 1970

Des Holford: a member from 1975-2005

FESTIVAL DAY The central council convened a festival day in Ararat attended by 150 members. One of the highlights of the day was a presentation by a group of Mini Vinnies students who had travelled from Coleraine. A student from Penshurst also spoke about his passion for raising funds for homeless people.

TRAINING DAYS Four executive training days were held throughout the central council that were well attended and received by the members.

Sr Toni Matha: 1993 volunteered with the Society’s Ozanam Community after years of service in Catholic Social Services in Melbourne and Sydney

In 2014 we celebrated the good works of:

The North Western Central Council conference members have provided assistance to the value of $1,424,138 to 17,405 families in need during the last 12 months.

NW

6 43 482 282 7 4 2 17 West Victoria

Regions Conferences Members Associate Members Mini Vinnies Conferences College Conferences Youth Conferences Vinnies Shops Area covered

Elizabeth (Betty) Bond: a member from 1959-1990

Bill Eccles: who joined the Society in 1957

Sandra Walker: who joined the Society in 1990

Leo Walsh: a member from 1952 until his death in 2014

Bill & Eileen Norman: Bill joined the Society in 1949 and Eileen’s involvement started with the Oakleigh shop in 1971

16

2013-2014 Annual Report

While the Vinnies soup van services operated as usual in 2013-2014 providing food and company to people in need, there was significant change going on behind the scenes as the Society looked ahead to a future where the marginalised people being assisted on our soup vans will be disadvantaged even further due to the socio-economic climate.

The trial phase of the Endeavour Hills Soup Van proved to be a success in the first six months of operation, with an average of 65 people a night benefiting from the soup van service.

This new soup van operation is run by the Society’s Endeavour Hills Conference and is supported and funded by the local parish.

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

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During 2013-2014 our 647 soup van volunteers provided 231,816 meals to people living rough.

Meals provided

People assisted

Volunteers

Berwick Soup Van

11,700

135 per night

75

Margaret Oats Soup Van – Collingwood

41,496

133 per night

120

6 nights per week

2,080

65 per night

90

1 night per week

127,400

350 per night

280

7 nights per week

41,860

115 per night

60

7 nights per week

7,280

70 per night

22

2 nights per week

231,816

868 per night

647

Endeavour Hills Soup Van* Matthew Talbot Soup Van – Fitzroy Matthew Talbot Soup Van – Footscray Frederic Ozanam Soup Van – Moe Total

Operating

3 nights per week

*Eight months of operation

With the introduction of the Endeavour Hills Soup Van, the St Vincent de Paul Society now has six services, three in inner Melbourne (Collingwood, Fitzroy, Footscray) and three in regional locations (Berwick, Endeavour Hills, Moe).

New policies and procedures were introduced in the operation of the soup vans to ensure the continued safety of our volunteers, staff and people we assist with the service, as well as to satisfy legislative and government regulations.

A new Soup Van Operations Manager was also appointed this financial year.

During this financial year many boarding houses in the City of Melbourne have closed resulting in those residents being pushed out onto the streets. The soup vans will continue to adapt to these changing conditions which will see many more people sleeping rough.

Homelessness is more than just having a roof over your head; it is the disconnection from society, the loneliness and isolation that many of the people we assist experience.

The soup van service is invaluable to those experiencing homelessness and disadvantage, not only for the food it provides, but for the friendship and connections shared among the volunteers and the people being assisted.

We are grateful for the support of schools and other groups participating in the soup van service. Almost every night there are one or two schools, some travelling for many hours from regional country towns, to have this experience and make their contribution.

The people we assist enjoy the friendly fresh faces of the students and are always ready to share a story with them, proving its benefit for both the schools and the people we serve.

There have been many events involving the soup vans throughout the year, most notably the Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

These events are a great opportunity for volunteers to come together and to share their personal soup van stories to a range of people not otherwise

exposed to the work of the Society and issues around homelessness and poverty.

The feedback from the CEOs at the 2014 Sleepout was an overwhelmingly positive response to the interactions they had with our volunteers.

Finally I would like to thank all those who make this invaluable service possible.

The St Vincent de Paul Society is indebted to the 647 volunteers who give their time and kind spirit. We also thank our partners including but not limited to Tasty Trucks, EnergyAustralia, Secondbite, Fareshare, Oz Harvest, Foodbank Victoria, Xavier Social Justice Network, Order of Malta, Lions Club of Markets, Wholesale Produce Market, Toscano’s and Tony’s Pies.

Br Doug Walsh President, Soup Vans Victoria

Soup Vans

doing something about it

18

2013-2014 Annual Report

Homelessness can happen to anyone One man who resides in the commission houses in Fitzroy waits by the window every night for the soup van to arrive and then hurries down to meet them.

He is not in need of food but he is in need of friendship and social connection, saying that it makes his day to come out to meet with the volunteers, Vannies, as it is the only time in the day he connects with anyone.

There are people who ride their bikes following the soup van runs, simply to interact with someone, to feel warmth and care from people.

There are families who sleep in cars and allow their children to share their latest jokes with the Vannies.

Then there are those who totally rely on the food our soup vans provide and could not manage without it.

Some people curl up in the toilet blocks and city park benches with donated blankets waiting for the food we serve them because it is their only meal for the day.

Half of these people are women; some are pregnant; most have experienced family violence and as a result are now experiencing homelessness.

Tragically, some of these women find it safer sleeping rough on the streets than in the place they were residing where they experienced the trauma of domestic violence.

These are just some of the faces of homelessness witnessed by our soup van volunteers. Sadly families and children are now making up the largest group of people who are homeless.

Each soup van services a different area but ultimately the stories are very similar.

Homelessness can happen to anyone.

Homelessness has many faces doing something about it

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

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Hames Project: providing a rent-free refuge for disadvantaged families and single adults experiencing an accommodation crisis.

The pilot model of a new project was established in Mansfield in February 2014 and is a joint collaboration of the North Eastern Central Council, VincentCare Victoria and the Mansfield Conference.

Known as the Hames Project, this pilot model utilises private rental, assisted financially through local philanthropic support, to provide a rent-free refuge for disadvantaged families and single adults experiencing an accommodation crisis. Ongoing welfare support is provided by the local conference members, while local professional services, including rural housing services, are engaged to develop a service plan for the occupants so that at the end of their six week stay they can successfully transition into appropriate accommodation.

This exciting initiative is something we hope to replicate across a number of rural centres where more of the State’s hidden homelessness exists – local responses in support of local needs.

The project is named for Dick Hames,

a local Vincentian who first dreamt of this initiative but sadly passed away in 2013.

The expertise of VincentCare in tenancy and property management and initial assessment and planning has enabled the St Vincent de Paul Society members to create a governance structure and establish training provisions that will ensure the very best outcomes for the occupants of the house in Mansfield and in future locations. It is our hope that up to six weeks of rent-free accommodation in a private and well equipped house, together with the support of the local conference to help the occupants access housing services; refer them to other services as required and to walk with them as they try to find better outcomes to their current situations, will create positive future options. This is the type of service our conference members are absolutely brilliant at; walking the journey, giving material assistance if required and referring on for further professional assistance.

Another exciting and vital aspect of the project is the ability of our local rural communities to support, in quite amazing ways, local initiatives through

interest, donation and financial support; such community spirit, alive and well, will continue to contribute to the efforts of the St Vincent de Paul Society conferences making a difference in each of their own communities.

Hames project

doing something about it

20

2013-2014 Annual Report

Vinnies Shops’ commitment is to continue to generate sufficient income to fund the ever increasing welfare demands placed on the St Vincent de Paul Society.

While the amount of funds available for those we assist has significantly increased, trading conditions in retail generally have continued to be most challenging, with retailers reporting very low to negative sales growth.

As we implement our five year property strategic plan many shops are being refurbished and upgraded to the new style introduced in the last financial year to improve our appeal to a wider range of customers.

Shop sales rose six percent on the previous year and expenses were maintained at the previous year’s levels, thanks to our volunteers and staff, who are to be congratulated for their dedication and hard work.

The value of material aid (clothing, furniture and household items) provided free of charge to people assisted by the Society totalled $3,184,500, an increase of $633,500 on the previous year.

Vinnies Oakleigh volunteers, Bill & Eileen Norman Photo courtesy of Paul Loughnan/Newspix

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

21

Vinnies Shops Financial Overview

Sales

$31,425,000

Expenses

$19,570,000

Funds available for distribution

$11,855,000

The success of our shops owes much to the commitment and dedication of our 6,500 active volunteers who give their time so generously.

Volunteers are the backbone of Vinnies Shops. They are a diverse group with a variety of reasons for volunteering but they are united in their desire to make a difference and they share our vision of assisting people in the community.

Our volunteer group has evolved in recent years and is like a microcosm of the broader Victorian community in its diversity. Vinnies volunteers have different cultural, religious and language backgrounds and differ in age, gender, race, physical ability and political beliefs. Vinnies recognises that this broad mix enriches our volunteer program and that we can tap into the strength in this diversity.

Vinnies Dandenong sits within one of the most multi-cultural municipalities of Victoria with over 60 percent of residents born overseas, from over 150 different birthplaces and more than 20 nationalities. The volunteer team includes asylum seekers, people fulfilling Centrelink obligations and a

large number of individuals who see people in need in their local community and are doing something about it.

Morning teas at the shop are an interesting event when volunteers are encouraged to share food from their own countries.

Providing development and training opportunities for volunteers is an integral part of managing our Vinnies volunteer program and a key to its success. Throughout the year, volunteers are offered the opportunity to participate in formal and informal training sessions, covering such topics as occupational health and safety, merchandising and customer service.

Having access to training and development opportunities benefits both the Society and the volunteers themselves. The Society benefits from having a more skilled voluntary workforce and enjoys increased commitment and engagement from volunteers. Similarly volunteers benefit through acquiring skills which may be transferable or deployed outside the voluntary role, as well as increased confidence and knowledge.

The not-for-profit landscape continues to change and develop and the way that people seek to volunteer will look differently in the future. Vinnies Shops must be ready and will continue to adapt in order to provide volunteers with individual experiences and to offer them the skills and experiences they seek from volunteering.

Vinnies Shops are totally dependent on the generosity of our thousands of valued donors. Donations of clothing, furniture and assorted household items are used for material aid support, and to sell in shops to raise funds for welfare.

We are grateful for the generous support of all our donors.

In a year with continuous changes to improve our processes, our staff have embraced and continued to provide strong leadership and support to our volunteers. This has ensured that our volunteers are working in a safe and supportive environment, and that all Society procedural requirements are met. We thank them all for their outstanding efforts during the year.

Garry McBride General Manager, Vinnies Shops

Vinnies shops

doing something about it

22

2013-2014 Annual Report

Haji, an Afghani Hazara, was born and educated in the bustling city of Quetta in Pakistan, close to the borders of Iran and Afghanistan, and now rife with Taliban activity. A pharmacist, he married in 1980 and started his own business, a shop, in 1987. Haji was well known in Pakistan, working tirelessly as Vice President of the Quetta Chamber of Commerce.

Quetta’s Hazara community were suddenly on the front line of Pakistan’s battle with violent extremism and the killing of Hazaras by the Taliban which started in 2001. Haji’s eyes well with tears when he talks about the threats he and his family faced. Five of his family members were killed. “The Taliban were chasing him, trying to hunt him down,” his 19 year old daughter says.

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

23

“I’m so thankful. They help me everywhere, every time, when I am in a critical financial situation.”

Haji, an Afghani refugee building a new life

She explains, “He used to work for the welfare of the Hazara people and the business community. As Hazaras got more prosperous in Quetta, the Taliban felt they couldn’t control them. He was getting threats so he went into hiding in Karachi for 18 months. He couldn’t get out at all; they were chasing him there, threatening him.”

In 2011, on very short notice, Haji received a visa to travel to Australia for a holiday. He left with very few possessions or money. “He needed a vacation to relax his mind. He wanted to return to Pakistan stress-free,” she said. When Haji’s plane arrived in Australia, he was instantly relaxed. “It was very peaceful. There is no killing, no tension. I felt very relieved.”

While in Australia, the situation in Pakistan deteriorated. “The Taliban can easily recognise our Hazara features.

It wasn’t safe,” says his daughter.

Haji, his wife and two daughters now have permanent visas arising from a positive decision from the Refugee Review Tribunal. This hearing was held in Perth and the St Vincent de Paul Society assisted with the travel costs required to attend.

Today, one of Haji’s sons is living in London and another son remains in Quetta, unable at this stage to secure a visa to travel to Australia.

Haji was worried about how they would pay for his younger daughter’s studies at the local secondary college in Dandenong where they settled.

The family paid the fees for the first semester and waited for the next bill to arrive but it never did.

“My dad asked me to go and ask about it at school and they told me that the St Vincent de Paul Society was helping us out paying the fees. I was just so happy, it was so good!”

The family were determined and delighted to eventually meet the Society members who had helped them. Haji said, “I’m so thankful. They help me everywhere, every time, when I am in a critical financial situation.”

Haji now works in a grocery store five hours per day. “I am happy because my mind is busy.”

Haji’s wife is also happy to be here and is active in the local Dandenong community. “When I first came here I knew a little bit of English so I thought, I can help other women.” She helps them with grocery shopping and educating them on things like how to navigate the public transport system.

She also volunteers in a Hampton Park women’s group, acting as an interpreter for women having driving lessons.

With his oldest daughter now married and settled nearby, his younger daughter studying biomedicine at Monash University and one son safe in London, just one thing prevents the family from being truly happy.

“If I can go to Pakistan and bring my other son to Australia that would be very good,” says Haji.

Haji also dreams of starting his own business but remains positive. “I am working here and I am happy I can earn money on my own and not be dependent on anyone else.”

“I am very grateful to the St Vincent de Paul Society. They are very helpful for me and for my family. I am very glad to be in Australia now,” said Haji.

SupportinG Refugees

doing something about it

24

2013-2014 Annual Report

The refugee, asylum seeker & migrant committee seeks to promote a sense of compassion and dignity towards new settlers while also providing a range of support services, advocacy and material assistance as people rebuild their lives in a new country.

People coming by boat seeking asylum continue to be of great concern to the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Successive governments have introduced increasingly punitive policies to try to deter them.

The Gillard/Rudd Labor governments reintroduced offshore processing and excised the mainland from the migration zone effectively denying permanent protection to any asylum seekers who make it to our shores.

The Abbott Liberal Coalition government continued to build on these cruel foundations. They immediately reduced the annual refugee and humanitarian intake from 20,000 back to 13,750 creating greater competition for the few resettlement places available worldwide.

Now any people arriving by boat seeking asylum are dispatched to Nauru or Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. The conditions in these offshore detention centres are extremely difficult and have

been described by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as ‘cruel and inhumane’.

The situation is made all the more unbearable by its indefinite nature.

Neither Nauru nor Papua New Guinea had a refugee determination process in place so, in the two years since the offshore detention centres re-opened, not one refugee has been processed and resettled.

As at 30 June 2014, the number of asylum seekers* in detention were: • 3,435 (including 362 children) in offshore facilities • 2,547 (including 530 children) in onshore centres • 3,007 (including 1,525 children) in community detention • 24,500 (including 1,870 children) in the community on bridging visas With approximately 30 percent of the community-based asylum seekers living in Victoria, many Society conferences have come in contact with households of asylum seekers surviving on payments equivalent to 89 percent of the

Newstart Allowance, which makes it only 35.6 percent of the minimum wage. Many a conference member has walked into an overcrowded property where there are no beds or where each asylum seeker has only one blanket and a pillow. It has been good to be able to meet their immediate needs but this system is unsustainable.

I would like to acknowledge the members of the Refugee, Asylum Seekers & Migrants Committee – Michael Cashman, Lawrence Chee, Kerrie Haines, Patricia Harwood, Marion Ippoliti, Carmel Kavanagh, Annmarie Lochery, Marita Taverner and, especially John and Isabel McLean who re-established the committee and have guided it over more than 10 years.

I would like to thank them for their foresight and dedication and wish them well in their retirement.

Brenda Hubber Chair, Refugee, Asylum Seeker & Migrant Committee

*Statistics obtained from the Australian Government’s Department of Immigration & Border Protection

Asylum seekers & refugees doing something about it

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

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Twins

Bangladesh Cambodia Caroline Islands India Indonesia Myanmar Pakistan Philippines Sri Lanka Thailand

Since 1960 the St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia has pursued a path of close cooperation with the countries in the Asia Pacific which have been allocated to Australia for support through twinning by the Society’s Council General in Paris.

As Christians trained and inspired by scripture we feel the urge of charity; through the heart but also as a testimony of our faith. At every moment of time we find the means and opportunities of giving expression to our charity and this should not be limited to the confines of our shores.

On behalf of the Overseas Development Committee members, this report is testimony to the generosity and strong commitment of our conference members who have fully participated and supported all aspects of our Twinning program.

Currently Victoria is supporting 580 Twins throughout the Asia Pacific region and many conferences are generously supporting more than one Twin. The key aspects of Twinning – prayer, communication and quarterly financial support – have been further enhanced

due to advances in communication. Some Twins are now using email to correspond rather than the conventional letter writing enabling our members to respond to requests in a more timely manner. In the past 12 months the committee has transferred $184,400 to support our worthy Twinning partners.

Our conferences have generously provided financial support to a range of projects in various countries. Our three largest projects – the School of Midwifery, the Catholic Centre for Academic Excellence, and the School for Catholic Youth Development in Pakistan – were fully funded, receiving $92,000.

Smaller projects, such as providing rickshaws and sewing machines, cow and goat banks and a poultry farm and scholarships, have also been funded. We acknowledge the generosity of private donors for supporting the cost of some very worthy projects. A total of $44,866 was contributed to funding small projects.

The committee is now encouraging the support of community-based programs that will provide benefits to a wider cohort of people.

Educational support still remains a high priority. Over 7,000 pamphlets about the program have been distributed to Catholic schools and posters have

9 7 1 334 18 64 6 130 4 7 580

been sent to all parishes. Thirtyfour schools have provided student sponsorships through various forms of fundraising. We acknowledge the great effort by students of St Thomas the Apostle (Blackburn) for raising $2,473, sufficient to assist 35 students. The Assist a Student program is national and Victoria has contributed $114,553 over the past 12 months supporting 1,636 students.

As part of our Twinning commitment, Society conferences also raise funds for Christmas and Easter grants allowing our Twins to have additional financial support during these times.

This was again well supported with $60,850 raised for Christmas grants and a further $59,125 for Easter grants.

Council to Council grants provide funding for our Twins to offset the costs of running and managing the day-to-day operations of the program by the Society and a further $41,200 was provided by the members for this purpose.

The committee is grateful to all those who have generously supported our friends in need in the Asia Pacific region.

John O’Brien Chair, Overseas Development Committee

Overseas development

doing something about it

26

2013-2014 Annual Report

During 2013-2014 the Membership & Development Officers continued to support the Society’s special works and conferences. Their role is to provide support, assistance and advice on policy and procedural matters, assist with training and recruitment and developing appropriate resources to help our members to respond practically to people in need.

Our Youth Officers support the growth of our Young Adult Conferences, Mini Vinnies Conferences in primary schools and College Conferences in secondary schools. Our administrator provides conferences with support and maintains the membership database and records.

Our Mission Integration Officer works with State Council to provide members with new opportunities to connect with the Society’s mission and values.

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“In my life I want to become better and do a little good.”

Blessed Frederic Ozanam, Founder of the St Vincent de Paul Society

A Soup Van Operations Manager was appointed and has been instrumental in reviewing and developing policies, OH&S practices and helping to coordinate the work of the vans.

The Box Hill Call Centre services Melbourne metropolitan conferences and regularly receives over 200 calls a day for assistance. The call centre is staffed by volunteers supported by two part-time Call Centre Coordinators.

The Dandenong Tutoring Program and West Heidelberg Reading Club are each ably supported by part time coordinators.

MISSION IDENTITY & 160 YEARS OF SERVICE On 5 March 1854, the St Vincent de Paul Society first opened its doors and heart to the people of Australia with the establishment of the first conference in Melbourne, at St Francis Church, Lonsdale Street. Whilst the social landscape may have changed significantly since 1854, the issues faced by families, including sustainable and meaningful employment, access to education, health and affordable housing remain and the St Vincent de

Paul Society continues to respond and journey alongside those we serve and work towards a fairer and just society.

CONFERENCE ASSISTANCE In 2013-2014 our conferences continued to follow the example of our founder Blessed Frederic Ozanam by responding to calls for help from people in need within their local communities. Our members carry out visits in people’s homes, conference assistance centres, nursing homes, prisons and hospitals.

Vincentians seek to offer a hand up to those in need and to advocate on behalf of the voiceless for a more just and compassionate world.

This year our Society members conducted over 120,000 visits and provided more than $10 million in welfare assistance to those in need in their local communities.

NEW CONFERENCE, ASSOCIATEs, SCHOOL & VOLUNTEER MEMBERS In 2013-2014 Membership & Development supported recruitment in conferences.

This year the Society welcomed 722 enthusiastic new conference and associate members. In addition primary and secondary schools continue to embrace membership of the Society, and just over 1,000 Mini Vinnies and College Conference members were commissioned. The Society also attracts new volunteers in its special works including soup vans and education programs. Recruitment continues to be a priority as new members to the Society bring with them fresh insights, renewed energy and new ways to assist those in need.

MEMBER SKILLS ENHANCEMENT Member development workshops assist members to acquire and enhance the practical skills needed for the work of a Vincentian. Workshops delivered in 20132014 included ‘How to make effective assessments’, ‘Understanding mental illness and addictions’, and ‘Providing practical advice and assistance for those struggling with bills and daily living costs’.

Patricia McCourt Manager, Membership & Development

Membership & Development doing something about it

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2013-2014 Annual Report

Margaret was born in Malaysia, one of nine children raised by strict parents. “My dad’s parents died when he was very young, he was an orphan from China brought up by nuns. They were very strict with him so he was very strict with us.”

After 13 years working as a Hansard reporter with the Malaysian Parliament, Margaret and her husband migrated to Australia in 1984.

“Before we migrated we came for a holiday and we were fascinated! It was autumn and it was beautiful and cool,” says Margaret.

In Melbourne, Margaret worked for 21 years in two top law firms as a legal secretary. “It was a very tough job because everything had to be done as of yesterday!”

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“I volunteer to keep my brain active, to keep up social connections and to give back to the community,” Margaret, Call Centre Volunteer at the St Vincent de Paul Society

In 2005 Margaret’s husband fell sick and subsequently retired. Margaret retired soon after so she could spend more time with him.

When Margaret is not volunteering, she loves doing karaoke with friends, playing badminton and catching up with friends for lunch and trips to the movies.

One Sunday in 2006 Margaret was in church at her local Catholic parish in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne and saw a notice in the parish newsletter calling for volunteers in the St Vincent de Paul Society’s call centre.

Before Margaret started volunteering she knew Vinnies did a lot of good work but volunteering in the call centre has opened her eyes to the breadth and diversity of the work done by the Society.

“I’ve learnt that they do so much.” It has encouraged Margaret to be an advocate for the Society too. “I spread the word! I always tell friends when they say they’re donating, ‘donate to Vinnies!’”

The call centre is the first port of call for people wanting assistance from the Society so the callers are often emotional and in crisis.

Initially Margaret volunteered two and a half days a week and recently cut down to just Wednesdays.

“I volunteer to keep my brain active, to keep up social connections and to give back to the community,” says Margaret. “Oh, and to keep out of my husband’s hair one day a week…

Wednesday is his quiet day!”

Margaret’s favourite part about volunteering is that it is rewarding “being able to help people who are really, really in need”.

“They are in trouble and they are very upset so we have to handle them in a gentle way. You have to be patient and understanding.” In Margaret’s eight years’ experience volunteering in the call centre, she has observed that the things callers most frequently need is help with buying food and paying bills; the essentials.

Known for her cheerful demeanor, Margaret reflects on being a happy volunteer, “You have to be happy when you come to work, whether it’s voluntary or paid. You can’t help people in need when you’re depressed yourself, you have to be happy”.

However she concedes that it can be challenging taking calls from people who are in desperate situations when they take their frustrations out on her.

Chatting with the other volunteers and her husband helps Margaret to cope with these difficult calls.

Giving through volunteering doing something about it

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2013-2014 Annual Report

Central Council

Youth Conferences

Eastern

4

Northern

1

Southern

3

Western

5

Gippsland

-

North Eastern

-

North Western

2

Total

15

Why do young people volunteer? Why would a group of young adults choose to spend a day running activities for kids or an evening giving food and company to people who are experiencing homelessness? What draws people to choose the St Vincent de Paul Society as an organisation worthy of their time and skills?

Our youth volunteers get involved for a variety of reasons but the reason they join is not important. What is important is why they stay. Some examples: • The satisfaction of making a child happy when they know that the child’s father is seriously ill.

• Connecting with a man living in a boarding house over a mutual fascination with philosophy.

• The realisation that their selfconfidence is a direct result of their years of leadership volunteering for the Society.

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In a time when the world labels youth as individualistic and materialistic it is inspiring that there are so many young people who choose to be more and do more with the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Vinnies Youth is a general term for all our volunteers who are aged 18 to 35.

They participate in many different works and have different backgrounds, personalities and faiths. They may be a member of one of our 15 conferences who meet monthly across the State.

They may participate by running camps for children or teenagers; travelling in a van for a week on ‘Roadshow’, supporting high school students to run a fun day for children or visiting people in their homes to offer assistance to people in need.

make. Vinnies Youth continue to enrich and be enriched by the wider community of the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Faith is also a key element for many of the Vinnies Youth members. The work of the Society gives many of the members direction, purpose and action to coincide with their faith. Many of the members are active in their local parish, supporting ministry projects such as bringing Eucharist to the sick and attending mass as a group. Conferences also come together for fundraisers such as sleepouts

to raise awareness of homelessness, trivia nights and bush dances. The diversity of Vinnies Youth is what makes it such an enjoyable community to be a part of.

In a time when the world labels youth as individualistic and materialistic it is inspiring that there are so many young people who choose to be more and do more with the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Katherine Spencer State Youth Representative

Youth members recognise the importance of community within the St Vincent de Paul Society. Our youth experience this community by getting together for monthly meetings or catching up at social events. The community is grown at State-wide youth events like the day retreat and the annual Vinnies Youth Ball which this year raised $3,500 for the Dandenong Tutoring Program. The families of the children who attend the Kids’ Days Out, Kids’ Camps and Roadshow are welcomed into the community through the connections that the youth members

Vinnies Youth

doing something about it

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2013-2014 Annual Report

Activity in schools is a growing part of the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Students have a passion for social justice and are enthusiastic about getting involved. The Society is able to support them to see and think about current issues in the community and then to engage in initiatives that do something about it.

The number of Mini Vinnies and College Conferences continues to increase steadily. While age prohibits them from undertaking some of the typical works such as home visits, these determined students work together with local conferences and other Society programs to address disadvantage in the community by raising funds and raising awareness in new and creative ways.

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These students are gaining incredible first-hand experiences of poverty which inspire them to get more involved with the Society and commit to social justice causes.

Mini Vinnies have targeted loneliness by visiting aged care facilities and making CDs to be distributed to isolated people in the community, demonstrating that giving one’s time is just as important as giving material aid. They are also using their skills to make things like heat packs and toiletry kits and writing personalised letters to go along with donated items to be distributed by Society members.

Mini Vinnies cluster gatherings also gained momentum in 2013-2014.

A cluster gathering is when several local Mini Vinnies groups come together in a particular region for reflection, education and to share ideas and inspire one another.

College Conference students continue to demonstrate their passion for making a difference in their communities. 2014 saw a record number of sleepouts taking place in secondary schools. College Conference members are relishing the opportunity to engage their wider community in sleeping rough for a night to better understand the plight of people experiencing homelessness in Victoria.

More and more secondary students are going out on the soup vans every week or helping out in the kitchens at Ozanam House, VincentCare’s crisis accommodation service for homeless men. These students are gaining incredible first-hand experiences of poverty which inspire them to get more involved with the Society and commit to social justice causes.

Central Council

Enquiries from schools looking to strengthen their relationship with the St Vincent de Paul Society through school conferences remain steady. As numbers grow, the students’ commitment to social justice is inspiring and their support through financial and material donations to the Society is invaluable.

Mini Vinnies

College Conferences

Primary school

Secondary school

18

8

Northern

8

1

Southern

13

7

Western

11

8

Eastern

Gippsland

3 -

North Eastern

5

5

North Western

7

4

65

33

Total

Schools doing something about it

34

2013-2014 Annual Report

Shahani’s parents migrated to Australia from Sri Lanka in 1994 and Shahani arrived soon after. Born and raised in Australia, Shahani is conscious of the opportunities afforded to her. Now in first year at university she says, “I’m the first in my generation to be going to university in Australia so my family in Sri Lanka are always interested and want to have a conversation about what it’s like.”

Driven to work hard and get good results at school, Shahani started attending the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Dandenong Tutoring Program when she was in year eight at secondary school. “My friend said ‘I’m attending this program, you should come along’ so I attended one session and I loved the people there.”

Shahani developed a good working relationship with one tutor in particular, Walter. “Even now he’s one of my biggest inspirations. He’s a really amazing person,” she says.

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“To attend this program and discover a tutor with so much experience, my mind was blown that it was available.

It was just amazing!”

Shahani, tutor and ex-student of the society’s dandenong Tutoring Program

“He helped me out a lot when I was in year 11 and 12. It was more like communicating with a friend rather than something formal like it is with a teacher at school.”

After her first session at the program, Shahani was excited by the opportunity she had discovered. “To attend this program and discover a tutor with so much experience, my mind was blown that it was available. It was just amazing!”

Shahani had high expectations for herself and is happy with her VCE results obtained with the help of the Dandenong Tutoring Program. Shahani’s younger sister Yusra is in year seven this year and is now a participant in the program too.

“Just as I found my favourite tutor, my sister did too – Ying, is a very nice lady.”

Now in her first year at university studying business accounting, Shahani has moved from program participant to program volunteer, using her skills to help others just as Walter did for her.

“Being a volunteer is amazing. I have a bunch of girls who, when I arrive are, all running around but then they see me arrive and they go straight to the table, excited to get started. Seeing

their progress is motivating. The students and tutors work together and see big results.”

Reflecting on the diversity of people involved in the program Shahani said, “How you are doesn’t matter. I come

from a Muslim background so I wear a head scarf. When I started in the program I was the only one in a scarf so I was a little self-conscious but you can always be yourself and do what you want to do.”

Dandenong Tutoring Program The Dandenong Tutoring Program was established to offer educational support to disadvantaged young people. The program offers tutoring for students from year five to year 12 in the areas of literacy and numeracy while promoting personal and social confidence. The majority of students are from culturally and linguistically diverse families and many have complex social, cultural, educational or personal backgrounds.

During the year the program has provided over 6,480 tutoring hours; 7,800 volunteer hours including preparation, planning and organisation; and 3,240 morning snacks to feed healthy and active minds.

The impact of the Dandenong Tutoring Program cannot simply be measured in numbers. It is much more significantly measured in the personal impact of our everyday encounters and the transformative nature of the relationships formed.

Being part of people’s stories is an honour and we are privileged to be entrusted with the care and support of young people and their families who are working towards a better future.

During the program we regularly encounter a great strength of spirit and witness the value of positive and supportive relationships. From a year five girl who excitedly told us that she had the courage to answer a question in front of her class, to the year 10 boy who asked for support to fill out a scholarship application for VCE, to a mum who spends two hours practising in order to be able to do a grade two reader with her child, the stories are varied and heart-warming.

Education giving back

doing something about it

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2013-2014 Annual Report

Compeer is an internationally affiliated program for people living with a mental illness.

Based on the principle of the power of friendship, Compeer matches volunteers in one-to-one friendship with people who have become socially isolated due to mental illness. The program supports volunteers in this challenging and unique role. Every year Compeer recruits and trains people so they are well prepared to meet the demands of the role.

In the 2013-2014 financial year there has been much preparation in the mental health community service sector for major change as a result of State and Federal budgets. Change is a challenge to each of us and we deal with it in our own way. However,

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

37

In these changing times Compeer staff need to ensure that there continues to be support to the volunteer and their matched companion in managing any issues in the early stages of a match, or when a person becomes unwell, or if challenges develop. when you live with the daily effects of a mental illness, any change to the supports you have grown to expect and rely on can be very unsettling.

One of the difficulties regularly faced is a change of worker who is assigned to support the individual.

The 2014 State Government budget announced which organisations will be funded in the future to provide a range of services related to the Compeer program. Many services that have worked in this sector for a long time have now been advised they will no longer be delivering the same service, or within the same geographic region, or the same type of service.

Workers in these organisations are having to manage the redirection of their clients to other services, while also managing their own uncertainty about their job future.

A pivotal part of the role of Compeer staff is to liaise with mental health service workers to support the relationships that the program establishes. In these changing times

Compeer staff need to ensure that there continues to be support to the volunteer and their matched companion in managing any issues in the early stages of a match, or when a person becomes unwell, or if challenges develop.

The professional staff of Compeer have risen to the challenge and are engaging with their peers in the sector to try to reduce the impact of the changes on the companions/referred clients. The general community has also met the challenges by responding in greater numbers this year to the invitations to be involved as a volunteer for someone living with the effects of a mental illness. There have been 19 volunteers trained in 2014 and they are well on the way to being matched to a companion.

The Compeer program has continued to thrive in spite of these emerging challenges. This year we matched a young woman with a new, young volunteer who has helped her companion deal with the anxiety of trying something new, meeting new people and getting to know a new service as well as

the changes to other supports. The companion had been experiencing agitation and anxiety and was struggling to deal with all the change in her life.

With the support of her volunteer she pushed herself to attend a social pizza lunch at a restaurant, where there were 50 other Compeer volunteers and companions. This was an experience she was quite fearful and anxious about.

However after the event she told her case manager that she was glad she had attended. She found the program staff welcoming, other participants’ accepting of her and everyone ready to chat and share the day. She is thankful she came along and glad to be involved in a program that is so accepting. The Compeer team is always delighted to observe the program benefiting people in such tangible ways.

Elizabeth Cromb Manager, Compeer

compeer doing something about it

38

2013-2014 Annual Report

Against a backdrop of a difficult economic climate in Victoria and the impact of the State and Federal budgets, fundraising was unpredictable.

During the 2013-2014 financial year some appeals tracked to budget, some exceeded budget and some were under target. We also encountered a downturn in funds from trusts and foundations as well as specified donations. However bequest income remains strong.

I would like to acknowledge the dedication and professionalism of the Fundraising, Marketing & Public Relations team for their contribution this year.

The 2013-2014 consolidated fundraising revenue shows that $9,681,520 was contributed to the Society throughout the year by our donors.

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

Fundraising Appeals

Vinnies CEO Sleepout

Bequests

The 2013 Christmas Appeal had a final appeal tally of $700,192, down by $22,456 on the previous year. This figure was bolstered by $72,000 contributed through our new corporate partner IGA who ran a very successful national cause-related campaign throughout the Christmas period.

This year the Vinnies CEO Sleepout celebrated its fifth year in Victoria. Our registrations for this event remained strong but the amount raised was down significantly on the previous year.

This year $3.2 million was received through the generosity of people leaving a bequest. This program continues to grow with increased marketing activity including seminars delivered by a solicitor from Moores on wills and estate matters as well as the marketing of our ever-popular information booklets on wills and estates.

The 2014 Winter Appeal again broke all previous records with an increase of $111,597 on the previous year’s total. The final Winter Appeal tally was $1,029,268. The spring and autumn newsletter appeals saw decreases in income.

Helping Hands

– Regular Giving Program Our regular giving program, Helping Hands, is going from strength to strength and is the most effective way for our donors to support our good works. The Helping Hands program has grown by 7.4 percent from the previous year and has contributed $260,144 this year. This is an increase of $17,941 on 2013 income.

This year 118 CEOs slept out on a bitterly cold winter night at Etihad Stadium. $477,537 was raised through this year’s event.

Increased media attention including a social media campaign has helped to keep homelessness on the national agenda.

School and Community Sleepouts The School and Community Sleepouts have been a successful community fundraising initiative to increase awareness of homelessness and to raise money for our services. This year 22 school and community groups participated in this activity raising $36,459.

39

Corporate Supporters We would like to thank all of our corporate supporters who have provided both financial and in-kind support throughout the year for the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, appeals and our soup van operations.

We would also like to express our gratitude to our donors and supporters for their loyal and continued support.

Carol Taylor General Manager, Fundraising, Marketing & Public Relations

Fundraising & Marketing

doing something about it

40

2013-2014 Annual Report

Melbourne’s fifth Vinnies CEO Sleepout was held at Etihad Stadium on Thursday 19 June 2014 with 118 business and community leaders taking up the challenge to sleep rough for a night.

In Victoria the event raised $477,537 ($685,335 in 2013) while across Australia $5.96 million has been raised to assist homeless services. It is wonderful to see CEOs embrace this event and assist the St Vincent de Paul Society to raise awareness regarding the issues of homelessness in our community as well as raising muchneeded funds to support our services.

Once again Melbourne’s weather was cold and wintry with an overnight low of 8ºC. A chilly night was ensured for all participants with the usual wind tunnels aided by Etihad Stadium leaving the roof open. The only comforts for CEOs on the night were a beanie, sleeping bag, pillow and cardboard.

Vinnies soup van volunteers not only provided meals for the evening but also chatted with participants about their work and how their interaction can make a difference to the people they see every night on the streets.

This year we thank keynote speaker, author Andrew MacLeod, for his address and our event MC Jim Middleton.

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

41

The Society sincerely thanks all our event sponsors and partners as well as all CEOs and their donors and supporters for participating in Melbourne’s 2014 Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

Absafe Pty Ltd ACCIONA Accuteque AGL Asixa Australian Association of Massage Therapists Australian Char Australian Glass and Glazing Association Australian Training College Bayside Medicare Local Bendigo Property Services Best & Less BioMelbourne Network BMC Software Catholic Church Insurance Clayton Utz Cognizant Technology Solutions Australia Pty Ltd Complex Institute of Education Compu-Stor Consulting & Implementation Services Cox & Kings Australia Creativa Web Videos Dental Health Services Victoria Dentsu Aegis Network Australia & New Zealand Dixon Advisory DM auto Doquile Perrett Meade Doran Printing Eaton Corp EJM Financial Services Eleuthera Group Emerson Process Management Flight Safety Foundation Ltd ForestWorks Fowles Auctions + Sales Go To...

Green Hat Harness Racing Australia Hay Group

Health Purchasing Victoria Holding Redlich Holmwood Group of Companies HomeSec Business Finance Housing Choices Australia Infront Sports Consulting and Devlin Alliance Institute of Legal Executives (Victoria) International Design Creations IQ Group Johnson Recruitment Junior Rockers Pty Ltd Kloud Kockums Bulk Systems Koustas & Co L&H Group Lawson Delaney m.a.d.woman – making a difference Mahercorp Pty Ltd Mamamia and iVillage Australia Marble Group Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Melbourne Victory FC Meridian Energy Australia Metro Signs Metropolitan Fire Brigade Mitcham Private Hospital Mother of God Catholic Primary School Ivanhoe East MTU Detroit Diesel Australia MUGSU Inc N2Growth Norman Disney & Young Normark Landscapes Office of Living Victoria Our Lady of the Assumption School P2 Group Park Lane Aged Care Parliament of Australia Performia Australia Phillip Johnson Landscapes

Porter Davis PriorityCPR Ray White Carnegie Ray White Glen Waverley Red Design Group Relux Slabs Pty Ltd Rio Tinto RiskMan International Pty Ltd Robert Bosch (Australia) Pty Ltd RSPCA (Victoria) RXP Services SCT Logistics Senvion Australia Pty Ltd Sisters of St Joseph Health Care Vic Southern Cross Austereo Spatial Vision Speller International St Gregory the Great School St Kilda Arts & Events Company St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. St Vincent’s Health Australia St Vincent’s Private Hospital Melbourne State Trustees Stellar Stellar Asia Pacific Stockland Sustainability Victoria Thomas Duryea Consulting Tiny Hearts Paediatric First Aid Upwey Valve & Engineering UXC Consulting VincentCare Victoria Votar Partners` Watermark Intellectual Asset Management Webjet Willis Australasia Windana: Drug & Alcohol Recovery Womens Financial Network Xsd

Vinnies CEO Sleepout doing something about it

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2013-2014 Annual Report

Vinnies Youth Ball

Vinnies Hamilton with Southern Grampians Shire Mayor, Cr Albert Calvano

Compeer 10th Anniversary

2013 Christmas Appeal

Archbishop Denis Hart supports the Vinnies Blanket Appeal

Feast Day

Dandenong Tutoring Project

2013 Winter Appeal supported by CitiPower/Powercor

Anti-Poverty Week

Vinnies Gift Appeal

July/August

September/october

November/december

Events 2013

doing something about it

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

43

160th celebration at Government House

Vinnies soup van assists at Government House on Australia Day

Best & Less supporting Vinnies

2014 Winter Appeal

Vinnies Brunswick opening soon

MFB partner with Vinnies in providing free smoke alarm batteries

Fitzroy Soup Van stop at Queen Victoria Market

2014 Ozanam Lecture

Vinnies soup van supports the EnergyAustralia regatta

Membership & Development team on soup van

january/february

march/april

may/june

Events 2014

doing something about it

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2013-2014 Annual Report

The Audit Risk & Compliance Committee works closely with the Society’s Finance Committee to ensure the appropriate strategies and processes are being maintained.

As part of its governance process, State Council has appointed an Audit Risk & Compliance Committee. The committee’s purpose is to advise State Council in its oversight responsibilities for external financial reporting, maintaining its system of internal control, management of risk, internal and external audit, as well as monitoring compliance with laws, regulations and adherence to the Society’s policies.

The scope of activities is set out in the committee’s Terms of Reference which are reviewed annually and endorsed by State Council. The committee’s Terms of Reference specify that membership of the Audit Risk & Compliance Committee shall consist of no more than six members, including at least two members from State Council; one of which is the Society’s Treasurer & Corporate Secretary; and three externally appointed, appropriately qualified members. The chair of the

committee is independent and must not be a member of State Council.

• Development of KPI’s for the external auditor.

This committee works closely with the Society’s Finance Committee to ensure the appropriate strategies and processes are being maintained.

Each year, members of the Society’s Finance Committee and Audit Risk & Compliance Committee meet with members of VincentCare’s Risk Audit & Finance Committee to jointly consider matters concerning all financial reporting matters relevant to both entities and to ensure an effective group audit approach.

• Commencement of the Society’s Risk Management Framework review with completion anticipated during 2014-2015.

Key achievements for the Audit Risk & Compliance Committee have been:

• Undertaking the scheduled review and updating, where necessary, operating policies of the Society.

• Overseeing the year-end audit and consolidated statutory accounts for St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc., Society of St Vincent de Paul (Victoria) and St Vincent de Paul Victoria Endowment Fund.

• Undertaking a review of the external audit contract, resulting in Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu being appointed as the Society’s auditor for three years ending 2015-2016 with an option of a further three year term.

• Commencement of developing the Society’s Business Continuity Planning Framework. The planned works are anticipated to be completed during 2014-2015.

• Review of internal audit reports and managing the oversight of senior management’s response to specific recommendations.

• Undertaking the review of the Audit Risk & Compliance Committee’s performance.

Vincent Cain Chair, Audit Risk & Compliance Committee

Risk Management doing something about it

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.

EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYMENT STATUS 200

45

TOTAL EMPLOYEES

170

150 100

92 78

78

70

50 0 Female

8 Full time Male

5

Part time

2

7

Casual 60% 40%

Total

At the St Vincent de Paul Society, we aim to take a strategic and comprehensive approach to managing people, workplace culture and environment. This enables employees to contribute effectively and productively to the overall direction and achievement of the organisation’s goals and objectives.

Aligned with our values, we aim to ensure that the Society’s workplace culture supports our people and enhances our ability to deliver effective services to those we assist.

As at 30 June 2014, we were an organisation of 255 employees, working in metropolitan and regional Victoria.

A mixture of on-the-job and formal training occurred in 2013-2014 addressing key organisational and individual priorities. This included: • Online values-based leadership program • Certificate IV in Retail Management for Vinnies Shop managers

• Health and safety representative training program • First aid • Fire and emergency • Study leave • Conferences, seminars and networking events We focussed on making better use of technology to support key employee processes, including our performance review and development process.

The online performance evaluation system was implemented throughout our central office and will be rolled out across the organisation in 2014-2015.

An online employee effectiveness survey was conducted in May 2014 with a significant proportion of employees participating, resulting in visible positive trends in many areas from our previous survey. Employee feedback and ideas will be used to form action plans to deliver improvements.

Our committee structure and OH&S framework have continued to drive a safety culture throughout the organisation. Focus has been on identifying areas of greatest risk and

Female Male

implementing effective controls in areas such as manual handling; fire and emergency and first aid.

We will continue to review our systems and processes ensuring we provide a workplace where our people can work without risk to health and safety.

All human resources policies were reviewed in line with our policy review framework and updated where required to ensure legislative compliance. This is an ongoing process to keep policies current, compliant and relevant. We also met our obligations in lodging our annual report with the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

As part of an employee wellbeing program, workplace health checks were offered to all employees. From the aggregated results (depersonalised to protect privacy) we will further develop the program specifically targeting areas of health risk.

Ann Timoney Manager, Human Resources

Human Resources

doing something about it

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2013-2014 Annual Report

The Policy & Research unit seeks to identify, understand and propose practical solutions to the challenges faced by marginalised households.

The unit is currently focussing on cost of living and its role regarding poverty and inequality. It is also undertaking detailed analysis, across a number of States, of changes and the impacts of energy pricing.

The Policy & Research unit actively undertook targeted research, networking, ministerial forums, presenting papers at conferences and raising our concerns through media and other channels.

The activities focused on identifying and highlighting the changes to the cost of living and the impact that this has had on low income and vulnerable households.

This research featured continuing and expanding analysis of changes in gas and electricity prices including the production of a number of State-based reports that highlighted changes and impacts in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, ACT, Tasmania and South Australia.

In addition, a national summary report ‘Is the devil in the retail’ was produced exploring the changes in the cost of energy across the States and raising concerns regarding the components of energy bills in Victoria where the price has been deregulated for some time.

During the production of these energy reports we noted that there was a significant increase in energy companies using ‘pay on time’ discounts and other

conditional contract terms as part of household energy contracts. This prompted further research into the various fees and charges that companies have introduced.

These reports were the impetus for meetings with energy ministers and senior public servants in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT regarding the findings. Central to this advocacy activity was conveying the impacts on low income households the Society supports.

The Relative Price Index report was updated and it found that there were significant changes in the cost of living.

This report explores the relative changes in the cost of living for specific household groups, including a couple with three children, renter households, unemployed and student households and couple only households.

The unit also has two student placements, one undertaking an analysis of the changes in demand for emergency relief and the other assisting the Social Justice Committee, providing a platform for our advocacy.

In 2014 a significant number of presentations on the impacts of cost of living and impact on families, have been undertaken.

Policy & Research

doing something about it

The Policy & Research unit has also been involved in advocacy with membership on committees related to poverty and inequality including meetings with senior management of both government agencies and private companies that provide us with access to key decision makers to raise issues directly and propose solutions.

Committees we are currently involved with include: • Consumer Affairs Victoria’s Working Together Forum • The Australian Energy Regulator’s Customer Consultative Group • Yarra Valley Water’s Community Advisory Group • Jemena’s Customer Consultative Group • AGL’s Customer Committee • United Energy’s Customer Consultative Committee • Citipower and Powercor’s Customer Consultative Committee The Society’s Policy & Research unit will continue to advocate on behalf of all low income and disadvantaged households in the hope of developing a more just and compassionate society.

Gavin Dufty Manager, Policy & Research

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The Social Justice Committee exists with the purpose of engendering in members the recognition, understanding and appreciation of social justice issues as they arise in their service and work with individuals and local communities.

The St Vincent de Paul Society provides a voice for people experiencing poverty, marginalisation and disadvantage. Our founder, Frederic Ozanam was clear in his mind that the causes of poverty needed to be addressed before real change would be seen. Wherever possible the Society will speak out against injustice and work toward finding solutions.

As Frederic Ozanam said, “The knowledge of social well-being and reform is not to be learned from books, nor from the public platform, but in climbing the stairs of the poor man’s garret, sitting by his bedside, feeling the same cold that pierces him, and sharing the secret of his lonely heart and troubled mind.”

Based on this principle, social justice is at the core of the Society’s good works. We identify the issues and work hand-in-hand to find practical solutions.

The essence of social justice lies in the ways in which conference members carry out their volunteer work, assisting those in need.

Members are in a unique and privileged position as they witness first hand in their service to others, the circumstances and injustices suffered by the people they visit.

Equipped with this knowledge, the Social Justice Committee identifies and develops practical strategies to assist members with particular social justice issues, whilst also working with external agencies and government bodies to improve or develop policies that deliver greater fairness for those we serve.

The Social Justice Committee has been working on updating the publication ‘Social Justice in Conferences’ which assists the development of a social justice framework within conferences and regions.

Going forward, the Social Justice Committee will continue to provide a voice for people who are marginalised and disadvantaged through the work of our members. We hope to provide further resources and workshops on the relevant issues impacting our communities in the 2014-2015 year.

Tony Proctor Chair, Social Justice Committee

During 2013-2014 the committee focused attention on homelessness which culminated in a workshop on this topic involving our members and several peak bodies during Anti-Poverty Week in October 2013.

The committee has identified cost of living and energy usage as major concerns and will focus on these issues by providing practical information to members.

Social Justice

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2013-2014 Annual Report

VincentCare Victoria has had another very successful year, building on previous efforts, to grow its service provision to disadvantaged Victorians.

Growth in service offerings During this past year: • VincentCare was awarded funding through the Federal Department of Health and Ageing Non-Government Organisation Treatment Grants Program to support the Recovering Life After Dependency (previously Post Quin) program. • VincentCare has commenced implementation of a new Home Care Package program. The program has grown from 25 to 83 packages, and will now cover both the Department of Health and Ageing Western and Northern Metropolitan planning regions.

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Mandate: VincentCare Victoria was established to extend the Christian mission of the St Vincent de Paul Society to support and advocate on behalf of the most disadvantaged Victorians.

• An extension of the current Transitional Care Program (15 beds at Vincenpaul) contract with Eastern Health was also successfully negotiated during this past year ensuring continuing provision of this vital service to the elderly living in the community.

• VincentCare’s HomeConnect Program was awarded Stage 2 funding as part of the Department of Human Services’ Victorian Homelessness Action Plan funding. HomeConnect will continue to provide its existing range of programs to younger adults, families and older adults using its early intervention model and will also scale up its response using the following initiatives: - Development of a cross agency service delivery model with Anglicare’s Breaking the Barriers to support younger adults - Providing increased choice and access to affordable housing - Providing support to at risk public housing tenancies

Homelessness Services • Ozanam House provides crisis supported accommodation to single adult men aged over 18 years with multiple and complex needs. During the past year the service has provided 539 episodes of accommodation support. In addition, emergency relief was provided to 304 rough sleepers, an increase from 161 last year.

• The Ozanam Community Centre’s meals program has continued in high demand throughout 2013-2014.

Currently, the centre provides breakfast and lunch over a five day period, a weekend takeaway lunch service and an evening meal service one day a week. In total the Ozanam Community Centre provided 7,121 breakfasts and 31,263 lunches.

• The Inner Melbourne Community Hub had approximately 150 regular community volunteers who assisted with weekly, fortnightly or monthly commitment of two or more hours,

depending on their role. In addition, 15 corporate groups who volunteer regularly as part of their corporate responsibility programs and 30 secondary schools (represented by 1,000 students) from across Melbourne and Victoria, are involved in the Social Justice Program.

• The Quin House abstinence-based residential rehabilitation program for men in recovery from alcohol and other drug dependency has assisted 62 residents during the past year, while the High Dependency Drug Detoxification Program works with the most complex clients who are either accessing Ozanam House or who have previously accessed Ozanam House and has managed 57 clients over the year.

• The Women’s Early Intervention Program supported 36 women with intensive case management and support for single women who are at risk of becoming homeless.

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2013-2014 Annual Report

Aspiration: To be the leader in providing care, hope and advocacy for those facing disadvantage.

• Marian Community has provided case management programs and short term support to 230 women and their children and Olive’s Place has supported 45 women and accompanying children escaping family violence with accommodation and case management services.

• The early intervention pilot program HomeConnect has seen 278 clients and 378 accompanying children, from the commencement of up-scaling activities in October 2013. The Initial Assessment and Planning staff managed 11,690 contacts at Glenroy.

In terms of Tenancy and Property Management, 92 tenants have exited their transitional accommodation and relocated into more permanent housing.

• In total, 90 Private Rental Brokerage Program packages were provided

by VincentCare to aid young adults to secure and sustain long-term housing in the private rental market.

• The Young Adults Support Service supported 366 young people at risk of homelessness or experiencing homelessness during the year.

• The Northern Community Hubs’ Outreach Team has provided support to 231 clients and the Volunteer Program has undertaken over 1,000 hours of volunteer work across the hub.

• The Adult Support Services continues to provide outreach services to single adults experiencing homelessness. Case managers have worked with 264 men and women to access secure affordable housing through public housing, community housing and other independent options in 2013-2014.

A key aspect of service delivery is to provide ongoing sustainable support through the creation of linkages and relationships within the local community, maximising independence and a sense of social inclusion.

Social Enterprises • The Social Enterprise Hub incorporating Ozanam Enterprises has continued to provide high value work to its supported employees by engaging in recycling electronic goods. Ozanam Enterprises continues

to receive TVs, computers and other electronic goods from the local waste transfer stations and asset management groups for breaking them down into commodities such as plastic and various metals.

Income is received from gate fees payable for the receipt of products plus the sale of the commodities.

• Ozanam Enterprises has also continued with its relationship with Qantas by refurbishing headsets.

• The successful partnership with Padua College continued as teachers and students not only provided classes in literacy and numeracy but assisted with weekend and day trips.

• SecondBite continued to provide fresh fruit and vegetables for those in need and a partnership commenced with the Mornington Information Centre providing advocacy services and supplying clothing, toys and bread.

Seniors Living Programs There have been many achievements across the seven Seniors’ Living Community Hub’s homes that continue

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Purpose: To create opportunities and lasting change for the most marginalised. to contribute to quality care for residents. These include:

• Improved gardens

• Further development of the iCare resident management system

• Development of Seniors’ Living Hub forums focusing on quality improvements in OH&S, catering, lifestyle and quality

• The refinement of risk management system, Riskman • Improved internal audits

• Better use of courtyards

• Continued compliance with unannounced Quality Agency visits

• Refurbishment efforts • Purchase of new and improved equipment • New and improved furniture • Increased staff in response to identified need across facilities • Improved education and support for Home Managers • Improved RN support and clinical governance • Increased lifestyle hours including weekends and evenings with a focus on supporting residents with dementia • Improved lifestyle and activity programs • Improved amenities such as provision of computers for residents • Increased opportunities and activities for residents in the community

• Introduction of key support positions; Systems & Training Coordinator, Quality & Education Coordinator and ACFI Coordinator • Improved management through consolidation of policy and procedures across the seven homes • Increase in referrals from VincentCare’s homelessness programs to residential aged care

Social Policy & Research The Social Policy & Research unit continues to enable the development of an evidence-base to support the development of the services, improve practice and advocate as an authoritative voice on those homelessness issues which are core to the strategic direction.

The Trauma & Homelessness Research Initiative has completed its main investigative phase. The findings will be important in re-shaping our practice towards Trauma Informed Care in subsequent years.

In June 2013, the Board endorsed a new research and evaluation framework that is firmly anchored in Vincentian and VincentCare values and will ensure that VincentCare’s research and evaluation endeavours are useful, ethical and accountable.

A project to evaluate the case management model that operates within VincentCare’s Victorian Homelessness Action Plan-funded HomeConnect pilot has helped to ensure that we maximise the evidence gathering and learning opportunities afforded to us by the pilot project. Other work undertaken by the Social Policy & Research unit to measure outcomes for HomeConnect clients were clearly indicative that early intervention in homelessness can be highly successful.

John Blewonski Chief Executive Officer, VincentCare Victoria

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2013-2014 Annual Report

Consolidated financial statements For the St Vincent de Paul society victoria inc. and its controlled entities

STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2014

2014 $

2013 $

Continuing Operations Revenue Fundraising activities

9,681,520 10,277,070

Government grants

31,398,094 29,263,814

Sale of goods

32,351,414 31,029,547

Other revenue

12,257,926 12,245,807

Net (loss)/gain on sale of property, plant and equipment

Total Revenue

85,688,606

83,230,224

Cost of sales

(21,604,826 )

(22,032,935 )

Gross Surplus

64,083,780

61,197,289

Fundraising/public relations

(1,386,554 )

(1,424,135 )

Administration

(3,154,665 )

(3,633,243 )

Impairment expenses

-

(1,855,000 )

People in need services

(10,664,631 )

(10,354,184 )

Residential aged care services

(23,961,778 )

(23,502,887 )

Accommodation and support services

(16,003,744 )

(14,903,314 )

Other support services

(3,647,700 )

(3,326,861 )

Surplus for year from continuing operations

5,264,708

2,197,665

(348 ) 413,986

Other comprehensive income Changes in fair value of financial assets designated as at fair value through Statement of Comprehensive Income

597,067 812,346

Total Other Comprehensive Income

597,067

812,346

Total comprehensive surplus for the year

5,861,775

3,010,011

Surplus for the year attributable to: Owners of the organisation

5,264,708 2,197,665

Total comprehensive surplus attributable to: Owners of the organisation

5,861,775 3,010,011

The Consolidated Financial Statements appearing on these pages are an extract from the St Vincent de Paul Society’s audited 2013-2014 Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2014. Copies of the Society’s audited Financial Statements are available upon request.

Statement by State Council In the opinion of the State Council the financial report as set out in the fully audited Financial Statements: 1. Presents a true and fair view of the financial position of the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. as at 30 June 2014 and its performance for the year ended on that date in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards – Reduced Disclosure Requirements and the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012.

2. At the date of this statement, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. will be able to pay its debts as and when they become due and payable.

This statement is made in accordance with a resolution of the State Council, and is signed for and on behalf of the State Council by: Dated this 26th day of September 2014

Michael Liddy State President

Josef Czyzewski Treasurer

Auditor: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Banker: Commonwealth Bank of Australia

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Consolidated financial statements For the St Vincent de Paul society victoria inc. and its controlled entities

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 30 JUNE 2014

2014 $

2013 $

CURRENT ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents

47,131,323 43,182,279

Trade and other receivables

2,637,066 2,321,673

Inventories

126,333 127,875

Financial assets

7,111,489 5,425,519

890,399 1,307,587

Other assets

58,315,340 51,946,203 Assets classified as held for sale

- 234,677

Total Current Assets

58,550,017 51,946,203

NON-CURRENT ASSETS Financial assets

4,005,976 4,382,507

Property, plant & equipment

66,163,365 65,697,781

Intangible assets

8,800,850 8,730,584

Total Non-Current Assets

78,970,191 78,810,872

TOTAL ASSETS

137,520,208 130,757,075

CURRENT LIABILITIES Trade and other payables

3,138,870 2,862,035

Provisions

5,276,322 5,386,955

Other liabilities

15,653,309 14,988,668

Total Current Liabilities

24,068,501 23,237,658

NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES Provisions

1,029,198 958,683

Total Non-Current Liabilities

1,029,198 958,683

TOTAL LIABILITIES

25,097,699 24,196,341

NET ASSETS

112,422,509 106,560,734

EQUITY Reserves

7,603,261 36,394,049

Retained earnings

104,819,248 70,166,685

TOTAL EQUITY

112,422,509 106,560,734

Consolidated financialS

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2013-2014 Annual Report

Thank you to all the individuals, churches, community groups, corporations, trusts and volunteers who support the St Vincent de Paul Society each year. Your support is invaluable and makes a significant difference to the people we assist.

The St Vincent de Paul Society relies heavily on the generosity of the wider community to support vital programs and services for people in need. Thank you to all the thousands of individual donors who have given generously over the past 12 months.

The Society recognises that people give in a variety of ways: some give their time, their skills, their prayers, gifts in-kind, whilst others give financially. We are very grateful to all who support the Society.

Trusts & Foundations

Bell Charitable Fund Brasher Family Foundation Carter Family Trust Desmond Prentice Charitable Fund F & J Ryan Foundation Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation Macquarie Group Foundation Merwe Laws Foundation Minter Ellison Charitable Gifts Committee Orloff Family Charitable Trust Randall Foundation Salesforce.com Foundation School’s Canteen Education Foundation of Australia The Drummond Foundation The Gray Family Charitable Trust The Killen Family Foundation The Leonard & Michael Harris Foundation The Noel and Carmel O’Brien Family Foundation

Business & Government A E D Nominees Pty Ltd AGL Energy Limited Analyzer Financial Group Pty Ltd Antiquarian Bookseller Pty Ltd ANZ ANZGSO Appazure Australian Retailers Association Best & Less BHP Billiton Matched Giving Program Blueprint Financial Bosch Australia Campbell’s Canchester Group Pty Ltd Casamento Photography CEO Forum Group Clare Industries Pty Ltd Claxton Speakers International

Media: Special thanks to all Victorian media outlets (newspapers, radio stations, online and television stations) for promoting the Society’s appeal advertisements free of charge.

Bequests: The St Vincent de Paul Society has been most grateful to receive a number of generous bequests in the last 12 months. This thoughtful provision for the future needs of the Society and those we serve is much appreciated.

Acknowledgements Design : Campbell Design Group – 03 9597 0137 Photography: Peter Casamento – 0419 104 244 Printing: Doran Printing – 03 9587 4333

Compu-Stor Conundrum Holdings Pty Ltd Delaware North Companies Australia Delron Investment Pty Ltd Department of Families, Housing, Community Services & Indigenous Affairs Dixie Cummings Enterprises Doran Printing EFM Group Pty Ltd EnergyAustralia Entertain Oz Pty Ltd Etihad Stadium Fairfax Media Limited Ford Motor Company of Australia Ltd Googandjerra Hack, Anderson & Thomas Hydro Flow Pty Ltd IGA Community Chest Inlink International Design Creations Johnson Controls Australia Pty Ltd Ladro Gertrude Leader Community Newspapers Lee Brothers Fencing Local Government Professionals Inc Magistrates’ Court of Victoria Malvest Pty Ltd Market Juice Masha.G Moores Mulnot Pty Ltd Naelfran Pty Ltd Nudie Oz Harvest Providence Pty Ltd Queen Victoria Market Road to Home Pty Ltd Rockit Advertising Rokk 66 Second Bite SkyNEWS Business

Thank You

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South Seas Roller Derby Southern Cross Austereo Sputnik Agency State Government of Victoria Sun Health Foods Pty Ltd Sweet Cupcakes Swift Electrical Tasty Trucks Telstra Corporation Ltd The Ark Clothing Co. Pty Ltd The Coffee Club The Herald & Weekly Times Ltd Toscanos Kew TVSN Victorian Mortgage Management Group Visy

Schools & Community Groups 300 Blankets All Souls’ Opportunity Shop Ave Maria College Caroline Chisholm Catholic College Catholic College Bendigo Catholic Regional College Melton Catholic Women’s League of Victoria & Wagga Wagga John Paul College MacKillop College Werribee Nazareth College Redemptorist Community Rotary Club of Belmont Rotary Club of Pascoe Vale Sacred Heart Girls’ College - Oakleigh Sisters of Mercy St Francis De Sales School St Gregory the Great Primary School St Monica’s Primary School St Thomas The Apostle Primary School The Melkite Youth Group Thomas Carr College

The inspiration and foresight of three people have been instrumental in the establishment and work of the St Vincent de Paul Society. In Victoria, the Society is 160 years old and provides assistance to people through the work of over 12,000 members and volunteers.

We pay tribute to our patron and founders and continue to be inspired by their teachings and the example of their lives.

St Vincent de Paul

Bl Frederic Ozanam

Patron

Founder

Vincent de Paul was born in the small southern French town of Pouy (later renamed St Vincent de Paul in his honour) on 24 April 1581 and ordained as a priest in 1600 at the age of 19.

As a young man he ministered to the wealthy and powerful. However an appointment as chaplain to a poor parish, and to galley prisoners, inspired him to a vocation of working with those most marginalised and powerless.

Vincent urged his followers to bring God’s justice and love to people who were unable to live a full human life: “Deal with the most urgent needs.

Organise charity so that it is more efficient…teach reading and writing, educate with the aim of giving each the means of self-support. Intervene with authorities to obtain reforms in structure… there is no charity without justice.”

Vincent de Paul died in Paris on 27 September 1660 at the age of 79. He was canonised on 16 June 1737 and, in 1883, the Church designated him as the special patron of all charitable associations.

The Society was named after St Vincent de Paul and follows his teachings and compassion for people in need. St Vincent de Paul is the international patron of the Society.

Frederic Ozanam was born in French occupied Milan on 23 April 1813.

He was the fifth of fourteen children.

In Paris at the age of just 20, Frederic established the St Vincent de Paul Society.

At this time, the people of France were experiencing tremendous political and social upheaval: changes of government, the Industrial Revolution and unjust employment practices.

Ozanam gathered some colleagues and began to respond in practical ways to the poverty and hardship he saw in the lives of people around him. They visited people in their homes and offered friendship and support. This practice, known today as ‘home visitation’, remains a core activity for St Vincent de Paul Society members and volunteers.

The group formed by Ozanam and his friends later became known as the first ‘conference’ of the St Vincent de Paul Society. They met together regularly as a group for prayer and mutual support, to learn and to share ideas about how they could best assist others.

Frederic Ozanam died on 8 September 1853 at the age of 40. He was beatified in Paris by Pope John Paul II on 22 August 1997.

Fr Gerald Ward Australian Founder

Gerald Ward was born in London 1806 and arrived in Australia on 7 September 1850 after being recruited to work in the Melbourne mission by the pioneer priest Fr Patrick Geoghegan.

The first conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia met in Melbourne at St Francis’ Church on 5 March 1854.

The first president was Fr Gerald Ward.

With the discovery of gold in 1851 and the rush to the goldfields of central Victoria, the population doubled and homeless, deserted children roamed the streets.

Fr Ward and the new St Vincent de Paul conference responded to this acute problem by establishing the St Vincent de Paul orphanage in South Melbourne.

The foundation stone was laid in 1855 and the first children were accepted in 1857. In 1855, in a submission to the government of the day, Fr Ward stated that the new conference aimed at “the relief of the destitute, in a manner as much as possible permanently beneficial and the visitation of poor families.”

Gerald Ward died on 14 January 1858 aged 52. A newspaper noted that “he was one in whom many a widow and orphan had found a good friend.” His enduring legacy is founded in such friendship.

Beginnings doing something about it

how you can help You can help the St Vincent de Paul Society help others by: Making a donation www.vinnies.org.au 13 18 12

Making A regular Gift www.vinnies.org.au 03 9895 5800

Credit card donations can be made by visiting our website or calling the donation hotline. All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.

Regular donations to assist the work of the Society can be made by credit card or direct debit from your bank account. Donating this way reduces Society expenses and can be arranged by visiting our website or calling the office. All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.

Volunteering your time

Donating goods

1300 305 330 Contact us if you are interested in becoming a member of a conference or volunteering your time to assist people in your community through any of the Society’s services.

1800 621 349 Donations of quality clothing, furniture and household goods can be made to any Vinnies Shop.

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. ABN: 28 911 702 061

RN: A0042727Y

Locked Bag 4800, Box Hill Vic 3128 43 Prospect Street, Box Hill Vic 3128 Phone: 03 9895 5800 Fax: 03 9895 5850 Email: info@svdp-vic.org.au

www.vinnies.org.au

Making a Bequest 03 9895 5800 Consider remembering the St Vincent de Paul Society in your will. The Society is able to assist thousands of people because of the generosity of those who have remembered us in their will. Call us for an information booklet or to speak to our Bequest Coordinator.